


One Time... Maybe More

by PaigeRhiann



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anal Sex, Angry Sex, Armin supports Ereri, Barebacking, Bathing, Blowjobs, Bullying, Caring, Cute, Depression, Eren is a little broken, Fighting, Fingering, Friendship, Happy Ending, Imprisonment, Kissing, Levi is secretly a marshmellow, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Self-Harm, love confessions!, progression story, semi-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-11 13:33:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13525341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaigeRhiann/pseuds/PaigeRhiann
Summary: If someone asked Eren where it started, he could pinpoint the exact moment.





	1. The First Time

The first time it happens is just after the ‘spoon’ incident. Eren is sat on the stairs outside of his cell, his head pressed into his hands and shame radiating from his body like a beacon. Levi is standing to the side, leant against the wall with his arms crossed, explaining quietly his reasons for choosing his team. They sit in silence for several minutes before Levi pushes away from the wall and holds a hand out to the younger boy.

“C’mon, gotta get you into your cell,”

Eren drops his hands from his face before nodding quietly and when he looks up and sees his Captain’s hand before him in offering, he tentatively takes it and allows Levi to pull him to his feet. They’re stood close, their hands still clasped and the two just continue to stare at each other. Eren’s not entirely sure how it happens but one moment they’re just staring and the next, they’re kissing.

It’s rough, all tongue and teeth. Levi pushes him up against the wall and his hands are in Eren’s hair, tugging it to make the boy’s head move into the position he wants. Eren grips at Levi’s hips, pulling them flush against his own before he slides his hands onto the man’s ass and squeezes. They’re both hard and grinding lightly against each other.

“Fuck,” Eren breathes as Levi sucks his bottom lip into his mouth and nibbles it.

His hands begin to tug Levi’s shirt from his trousers, and then moves his fingers up the inside of the cloth and he grips at the warm skin of the Captain’s waist.

“Bed.” Levi states as moves back from the wall, pulling Eren with him by the mouth and hair.

They stumble slightly until Eren eventually manages to push Levi onto his bed and he runs his hands down the man’s strong thighs before grabbing the sole of one of Levi’s boots and pulling it off in one movement and throwing it across the room, the other boot not far behind it. He unhooks the equipment straps from Levi's feet and then he stops, and looks up the length of the man’s body.

Levi is laid out on his bed, shirt rumbled and hiked up, showing his stomach and his face is flushed with this needy look in his eyes. Eren can’t resist the smirk that touches his lips and his hands return to their task of ridding older man of his clothing; fingers nimbly undoing the buckles of the straps around his thighs and then his belt and finally the onto the one on his chest. Eren seizes the back of Levi’s neck and hauls him off the bed into a bruising kiss, the other hand pushing the equipment straps off the bed and the man is pushing the brown jacket from his shoulders and onto the floor.

Eren holds himself up, half standing and half leaning over Levi as the older man begins to undress him, hands removing the straps whilst Eren kicks his boots off. Before long, his equipment straps fall to the floor and he finally crawls forward, straddling Levi’s body and pressing their hard cocks together. Despite their trousers making the contact slightly uncomfortable, they both moan at the friction.

Levi rolls them, positioning himself above Eren before roughly tugging his shirt over his head and then attaching his mouth to skin below his jaw and sucking hard, biting at the white skin. Eren shifts his head, giving the man more access as he begins to undo Levi’s buttoned shirt.

“C-Captain, I-I nee–” Eren pants

Levi releases his neck, “Levi.” He moves off the bed to stand and he begins to pull Eren’s trousers from the ankle “Call me Levi,”

“Fuck. Levi, I need – Fuck me” Eren says as the trousers are removed and he watches, eyes transfixed as Levi removes his own.

Levi’s pupils blow wide and he nods, lowering his body back onto Eren’s as the kiss and push their hips together. “Do you have any–”

“Top drawer” Eren answers eagerly, his hands roaming the back of Levi’s thighs and up onto his ass and the man leans over to the top drawer, rummaging slightly before pulling away with a vial of oil clasped in his hand.

The older man pushes Eren’s thighs apart and settles between them, he uncaps the vial and pours some oil onto his fingers, before recapping it and moving it to the side. He gently rubs the pads of his fingers over Eren’s hole, and then he pushes one finger in. Eren doesn’t finch, he just shifts his hips slightly to give better access.

Levi leans forward to kiss him again, and he’s sucking on Eren’s tongue when he adds a second finger. The younger boy moans, his head hitting back onto the mattress and Levi attaches his mouth to Eren’s neck again.

“You ever done this to yourself?” Levi asks when he finishes making a second bruise onto the boy’s neck.

“Yeah,”

“How many fingers?”

“Two,” he pants, “I want three but it’s not an easy angle” he makes a short motion with his hand, clearly trying to imitate the angle he struggles with.

The man nods and then carefully inserts a third finger. This time, Eren does flinch but any pain is quickly replaced by moans and a slew of “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Levi continues to stretch him for several more minutes before Eren snaps, “Would you just fuck me already?”

“So fucking impatient,” he smirks, but he does as requested. Levi removes his fingers and grabs a little extra oil from the vial to slick himself up with before he lines up with Eren and slowly pushes in, the younger man hisses and his nails immediately dig into the skin on Levi’s shoulder blades.

He waits, sucking another bruise onto Eren’s neck as he does. Eren’s fingernails eventually remove themselves from Levi’s skin and the boy nods. Levi rocks his hips gently, and as Eren continues to nod, he slowly increases the pace until he’s sliding in and out as he pants against Eren’s neck.

“Fucking fuck, you’re so tight” Levi moans as his mouth finds the other boy’s again, their teeth click together slightly but neither care.

As the younger boy began to approach his climax, he let his hand fall from Levi’s back he started to jerk himself at the same pace as Levi’s thrusts but his hand is pushed away and Levi takes over jacking him off. Eren comes with a yell, his nails dragging harshly down Levi’s back as come begins streaks across his stomach and chest, his body tightens and Levi comes shortly after, his thrusts losing rhythm slightly as he bites down onto Eren’s collarbone to keep from yelling out in pleasure.

The two still and the only movement is their panting. After several minutes, Levi carefully removes himself from inside of Eren, before leaning over and grabbing the boy’s shirt and using it to clean himself up before wiping down Eren’s chest.

“That’s my shirt,” Eren states, even though he really doesn’t care.

“And?”

Eren just shrugs and settles back against the pillow with a sign. “You can put me to bed now,” he holds up his wrists and keeps his face blank.

Levi nods, and silently closes the cuffs around Eren’s thin wrists. He stands and puts on his clothing as the boy pulls his blankets up over his body and shifts to get comfortable and his eyes follow his Captain’s movements. He holds his equipment straps in his hand and drapes his jacket over his arm.

“You need anything?”

“No,”

Levi nods and leaves the room, turning around to lock the metal door behind him. He puts a foot onto the first step and stops. “Hey, Brat?” Eren grunts in acknowledgement, “that can’t happen again.”

“Yeah,”

The man nods to himself and ascends the stairs.


	2. Formalities

Eren doesn’t sleep well; haunted by nightmares of Shiganshina and edged with the stares of hatred from the members of Levi’s squad. After waking up in a cold sweat for the third time, Eren stops trying to sleep.

Its sunrise when Hange comes down and opens his cell door and then unlocks his handcuffs. Eren gently rubs his wrists and he goes to climb out of bed before he remembers he’s naked. Then he remembers why he slept naked and his face flushes. Holy shit, he’d had sex with Captain Levi. Eren groans loudly and buries his face into his hands.

“You okay, Eren?” Hange asks.

“Questioning all my life choices which have led to this moment,” he responds easily.

“Okay,” Hange replies before going up the stairs and leaving him to prepare for the day.

He quickly shakes his shocked feeling and fills the small basin with cold water and gives himself a wash. He’ll shower after training but for now, he just wants to get the smell of dried come from his skin. He dresses into clean uniform and he’s securing his equipment straps when he catches sight of himself in the mirror. His skin is slightly paler than usual and the dark bags around his eyes are a stark contrast, however, the bigger contract against his pale skin are the three, large black bruises on his neck. Eren gawps at them and reaches up to poke them, they’re tender to the touch and his mind immediately goes back to the previous night; having his Captain fuck him.

He’d lost his virginity to his superior officer.

He’d lost his virginity to the man tasked to kill him should be lose control.

Eren tears his eyes away from his mirror, puts on his brown jacket and exits his cell, up the stairs and into the mess hall. He grabs a small loaf of bread, a little butter and some tea before he turns to sit, instinctively, he moves to sit with the rest of the Levi Squad but he stops, remembering their faces of hatred and distrust. Eren steers away from them, taking a seat at the back corner of the mess hall; there’s a few others at the table, who all cast him angry and disgusted looks as he sits.

He concentrates on cutting open his bread and evenly spreading it with butter and then he began to eat, washing each mouthful down with a tea. Eren is trying his hardest not to listen to the voices around him, or look back at the stares. But their gazes are boring into his skull and the voices are getting louder; Monster. Killer. Disgusting. Not Human.

He abandons the rest of his breakfast and leaves the hall in favour of headed outside to put on his ODM gear and get in some extra laps before training starts. He’s seventeen laps deep and drenched in sweat when the other soldiers start filing out. Levi gives him a funny look (which for Levi is expressed via eyebrow twitch) but Eren just continues staring straight as he runs.

When they’re finally called to a halt, Eren’s legs feel like they’re going to fall off and his lungs are screaming but he basks in the feeling, like there’s nothing else that matters. He’s barely got a second to recover before they’re all down on the ground and doing push-ups. When they move onto ODM training, Eren can’t help but feel free. Moving with the ODM is familiar and he’s able to push his body to its limits, but best of all, everyone is so focused on their own workout that he can move without anyone freaking out whether he’s going to transform or not.

They split for lunch when the sun reaches its peak and Eren just collapses onto the grass with a smile on his face. Eren lays there for a long time, just breathing the fresh air with the sun on his face and grass gently tickling his skin.

He’s brought out of his relaxed state when someone stops beside him and nudges him in the ribs with their foot.

“Oi brat,” Captain Levi says, “Eat,”

Eren opens his eyes slowly to find Levi holding out a bowl of soup and a small bread roll. He sits up and takes the food, he quickly begins to eat.

“Thank you, Sir” he says between mouthfuls of soup.

“You don’t have to call me Sir when the others aren’t around.” Levi states in his usual monotone voice. Eren shrugs as he puts another spoonful into his mouth, “I mean, I’ve had my dick in your ass–” Eren chokes and then spits out the soup in his mouth. The spoon falls from his hand and onto the grass as he continues coughing. “Fucking shit, that’s disgusting”

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about it,” Eren manages eventually,

“I said it can’t happen again, not that we’re not talking about it.” Levi sends him a curt look, “But formalities are pointless at this stage.”

Eren nods and he’s about to continue eating his soup when he notices his spoon sitting in the grass. He reaches out to pick it up but stops; what if he transforms again? What if he goes full titan this time? They’d have to kill him for sure this time. He can’t risk it.

Eren places the remaining soup to the side and instead chews on his bread, hoping his Captain hadn’t seen his hesitation.

After lunch, Eren meets with Hange to work on his abilities. First, she explains her theory about needing a solid goal before he can transform and he can’t help but agree. Then she takes some of his blood and afterwards, the two of them ride away from the castle and she gets him to try and transform. He bites into his skin six times before they decide to give up. He performs a partial shift as he reaches the top of the ladder from the well.


	3. Care of the Broken Soldier

Eren wakes on the back of his horse, one arm and half a leg missing.

He lets the horse carry his exhausted body and it’s only a short time before they reach the castle again and Hange is handing off her horse to another Scout and when Eren tries to get off his horse, his body just slides off and he lands limply on the grass.

He hears Hange screech in panic at his fall but between one blink and the next, Levi is leaning over him with a bored expression.

“You’re filthy” he scalds, “and you look like shit”

“Ahhhhh, Levi!” Hange squawks, “you can’t say that”

“Why not?” he demands, “I’ve literally had shits that look better than him”

Eren distantly listens to the two argue as he watches the newly formed bones in his foot slowly grow muscle again. He thinks he blacks out again because suddenly, Levi has hold of his arms (well, one arm and a stump) and is pulling Eren’s body onto his back. He allows the man to completely take his weight as he carries him through the Castle and Eren doesn’t have the energy to argue when the Captain bypasses the stairs to his cell and continues down the corridor. As they move, he’s aware of all the people staring in horror at him and he thinks he sees one guy vomit onto the floor at the sight of him. Eren just shuts his eyes and he doesn’t open them again until the Captain is slowly lowering his body onto a wooden chair.

He lifts his head when he hears the sound of running water and he looks around to see he’s in a spacious bathroom, with a big mirror and plush towels. Levi is leant over the bathtub, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he tests the temperature of the running water before putting the stopper into the plughole. The back of the Captain’s usually pristine white shirt is dirt and blood. He’s about to apologise for causing a mess when Levi turns his attention from the water and to him and his fingers begin to undo the buckles of his equipment straps. It’s a far stretch from the previous evening; that was rushed, rough and sex-fuelled, whereas this is slow and methodical, like he’s afraid he’ll break Eren if he moves to quickly. 

“You don’t have to be so careful, I’m already broken” Eren says, he’d wanted his voice to sound sarcastic but instead the words are slurred and tired.

The man doesn’t reply, he just continues to remove Eren’s straps and then his shirt and he scoffs when he sees the state of his half-destroyed boot, mumbling about how he’s costing the Military a fortune in boots alone. Eren notices that all his clothing seems to be going straight into the bin. When Levi begins to unbutton his trousers, the younger boy frowns deeply.

“I’ve seen it before,” Levi sneers as he tugs the material down and away from his body entirely, the trousers meet the same fate as the rest of his clothing. The man checks the bath again and turns off the taps. “Ready to get in?”

Eren nods and Levi carefully lifts him from the chair and then lowers his body into the warm water. He immediately sinks back, letting the heat wash over him and seep into his bones. The water quickly turns a light brown colour but instead of draining the water away, Levi begins to rub Eren’s skin with a cloth. The water goes from light brown to murky to dark, solid brown within seconds and Eren watches as the dirt and blood are wiped from his body.

When the worst of the crud is off, Levi empties the tub and refills it with fresh water. Eren stares straight ahead, his foot is almost fully formed now, just the skin of his toes is left to grow. Levi continues to wash down his skin with a cloth and a floral scented soap.

“I will never get used to watching you grow limbs back,” Levi mutters, mostly to himself, “Creepy little bastard.”

Eren snorts, raising his head slightly to look at the expression on Levi’s face; its blank, except for the frown at the edges of his mouth. Levi’s grabs a large jug and dips it into the bath water before carefully tipping the boy’s head back and pouring the water over his hair. Eren keeps his eyes shut and his head tipped back, he’s expecting another jug of water but instead, a strong mint smell hits him and Levi begins to rub his hair with a thick gel.

“I’ve never used hair wash before,” Eren mutters, reaching up with his good hand to feel at the foamy substance coating his hair. Levi slaps his hand away and continues to massage Eren’s scalp with nimble fingers. Fingers, which just last night were inside of him. “I can do it myself, I’m not a child”

The man lets out an ugly snort, “You can barely move,” he says, “just shut up, stupid brat”

Eren follows the command and remains silent as water is poured through his hair, rinsing away the delicious smelling hair wash. When he’s finished, Eren opens his eyes again and eyes his body. His foot is fully reformed, leaving no trace that any injury ever occurred but his arm is still growing, having just formed an elbow joint. Levi releases the bath water and helps the younger boy from the bath to stand on his feet on the plush bath mat, he drapes one large fluffy towel around his shoulders and another over his head before he exits the room.

Eren glances into the mirror and sighs, he really does look like shit, despite the shower. His skin is pale and waxy looking, the dark rings around his eyes are just as deep as earlier but now there are the patterned red burns on both sides of his face from where Hange had pulled him from his Titan body. It spans in large blobs across his forehead and down his cheeks, whilst under his eyes there are long teardrop shaped marks, however, on the bright side, the three large hickeys are now gone.

Levi returns and wordlessly rubs his skin with the towel and helps Eren step into underwear and put on a pristine white button-up shirt, the clothes are slightly small but they’re soft and he’s no longer naked. The Captain grabs his bicep and leads him from the bathroom and into the adjoining room. The room has white walls and is bare, containing only a bookshelf, a clothing trunk and a bed. Levi pushes him to sit on the edge of the bed and then scrubs the second towel through his hair until most of the moisture is gone. He pushes Eren to lay down with his head on the pillows and pulls a soft blanket up over his body.

“Sleep,” Levi says, “I’ll wake you later”

Eren doesn’t have energy to assess the small smile on his Captain’s face before he’s falling asleep.


	4. Oi, Shitty Glasses!

He wakes to the older man kicking the mattress and dumping clothes onto his face. Eren moves the clothes and sits up slowly, trying to push his brain out of the fog.

“You talk in your sleep,” Levi tells him from where he’s carefully folding shirts and placing them into a clothing trunk.

Eren blinks again, taking several seconds to realise that he’s not in his cell; the room is too bright, and the bed too comfy and there are no chains. It takes him another few moments to realise he’s in Captain Levi’s room. In Captain Levi’s bed. Wearing Captain Levi’s clothes. He rubs his hands into his eyes, or at least, one hand and a stump without fingers.

He looks down that the clothes thrown at him; they’re his own, a fresh uniform for him to dress into. Eren pushes back the soft blanket and reluctantly swings his legs out to sit on the edge of the bed. He’s only got one usable hand but he somehow manages to get his trousers over his feet and up his legs before standing and pulling them up the rest of the way. Thankfully, the Captain hadn’t fastened the buttons of the shirt he’d put Eren in, so he’s able to push it from his body and rest it onto the bed. He pulls his own shirt over his head with little trouble and then he pulls on the new boots which are resting nearby. He goes directly into the bathroom and relieves himself before taking another look in the mirror; the black rings around his eyes have lessened slight but the red burn marks are just as prominent as before he slept. His hand is forming knuckle bones and Eren just hopes it heals before dinner. He exits the bathroom and notes that the bed is now neatly made and the shirt Eren had been wearing is gone.

Levi is stood by the door, leaning against the wall as he had done the previous evening and Eren suddenly has the urge to grab the man by the shirt and kiss him. He shakes his head, trying to dispel the image, he takes a few breaths before nodding to himself.

“Thank you, Sir,” Eren mutters, and then he quickly corrects himself “Levi.”

“Whatever, kid” he shrugs, face unreadable as he kicks off the wall and opens the door, “C’mon brat, dinner,”

He follows the Captain down to the mess hall, keeping his head down to hide the marks on his face and his arms crossed, his still healing hand tucked into his armpit. A hush falls over the room as they enter and Eren isn’t sure if it’s because Levi entered or because he did. He does his best to ignore everyone as he joins the queue and he grabs a plate of food but when he goes to get some tea, he remembers that he can’t carry it in his hand, so he just turns and heads to the table in the corner of the mess hall. 

Eren eats a little of his food but mostly just looks at it. He almost falls of the chair when Levi pulls out a chair opposite him and sits down heavily. Eren gawks, the Captain usually eats at the Officers table with Commander Erwin and Section Leaders Mike and Hange.

“Sir, you don’t have to sit with me,” Eren whispers to him

“You still look like shit,” Levi says, in place of an actual explanation.

Eren eats a little more food but mostly watches as Levi eats his entire plateful and he drinks some of his tea before placing it on the table and sliding it across the table towards Eren.

“Drink,”

Eren eyes the cup suspiciously as he reaches out and picks it up and takes a sip. Its sweeter than he usually has his own tea but having something wet his mouth feels fantastic, he takes another sip and then passes the mug back. They’re caught in an awkward stare-off when suddenly –

“EREN!” Hange throws herself at him, arms too tight around his body as she hugs him. “Oh, you had me so worried. I thought I’d killed you this time, for sure!”

“Oi, shitty glasses,” the captain says, “let the brat breathe.”

Hange releases him and pushes herself onto the chair beside him. “Did your foot grow back? What about your hand? Can I see? Why hasn’t your face changed back? You haven’t eaten much, here!” she finishes her slew of questions by forcefully shoving a large forkful of food into his mouth. Eren swallows hard and starts coughing, he reaches over and takes the teacup from Levi’s hand and downs the remaining liquid. “Oops, sorry” Hange sings, not sounding remotely sorry as she eyes the tea cup with curiosity.

Eren is trying to remember how to breathe when Hange grabs his still-healing hand and holds it in front of her face, turning it this way and that as she watches the muscle creep up the bones of his fingers. She’s muttering to herself as she observes and Levi just leans back in his chair and brings his feet up to rest on the table. Eren is transfixed, his eyes following the long length of his legs and they elegantly stretch before him, the material around his thighs straining to contain the muscle beneath. He thinks back to the previous night; holding those thighs as Levi fucked into him, feeling the power they hold with each movement.

His thoughts are interrupted a voice announcing, “That’s disgusting, I think I’m going to vomit.” His eyes immediately track the source of the sound and see one of the other soldiers holding a hand over his mouth as he stares at Eren’s hand. Eren snatches his hand back from Hange and hides it in his armpit again. Levi’s stands suddenly, his eyes murderous as he grabs his teacup and moves towards the other soldier. He stoops and mutters something into the man’s ear, causing him to go pale and his expression drops into one of horror. Levi stands and continues to the tea station before returning with a fresh cup and resuming his previous position with a self-satisfied look on his face.  
Hange’s eyebrows are furrowed and she abruptly leaves, muttering to herself. Eren watches her go and then stands. “Sir, may I go outside before bed?”

“Go.”

Eren nods and leaves the mess hall and then wanders from the castle and into the brisk wind. He shivers as he sits against the cold stone wall of the castle. He takes a moment to just breathe and let the cold air wash over him. When Levi eventually comes out to him, Eren’s skin is freezing but he feels so refreshed that he can’t bring himself to care.

“Oi, brat,” his Captain calls, “time to go,”

Eren follows him, the warmth of the castle immediately washes over him and an involuntary shiver falls over him. He’s led down to his cell and Levi stands to the side as he pulls of his jeans and t-shirt, he climbs into his bed and pulls the blanket over himself before holding his hands (finally healed) to Levi. The man nods and closes the cuffs around his wrists, he seems to hesitate for a moment but then Levi just stands and leaves, locking the cell door as he goes.


	5. On the Edge of Human

Two days pass and his classmates joined the Scout Regiment arrive at the castle.

A week later, the Female Titan kills the members of the Levi squad. 

Eren doesn’t give himself time to think about it, he simply throws himself into the plan to contain Annie. The two of them end up destroying some of the Interior and in the end, they don’t even manage to capture Annie in a way which could be of any use to them.

Eren’s movements outside of his cell are limited after that and he’s stuck with only his thoughts for days at a time; reliving the moments where Annie killed his squad mates, the very same people who had vowed to protect him. The people who died protecting him. 

First, she’d killed Eld, bitten him entirely in half and spat him out again. Next had been Petra, squashed her against a tree like an insignificant bug that she was swatting away from her face. And finally, she’d kicked Oluo hard enough for his ODM gear to disengage and he’d plummeted into the trees and to his death.

They were all dead. And for what? For him?

He was a monster, he was disgusting. He wasn’t even human.

They died for nothing.

He’s still trapped in his own head when Levi pulls his cell door open. “Oi, brat,” he says, tone devoid of emotion and expression blank, “come help.”

Eren clambers off the bed, tugs his boots on and quickly follows behind his Captain. It’s not difficult to catch up to him since he’d hurt his leg when fighting Annie. At the top of the steps, Levi shoves two large, heavy boxes into his arms and then turns and begins walking towards his room with Eren behind him.

Levi opens the door to his own room and points towards the desk which hadn’t been here the first time Eren had come to this room. The younger boy does as commanded and places the boxes atop the otherwise clear desk.

“Anything else, Sir?” Eren asks, hoping he can leave and escape the heavy air that seems to have filled the room.

“Sit down,” Levi motions towards the bed and reluctantly, Eren crosses the room on unsteady legs and perches on the edge of the bed, his fingers twisting together anxiously in his lap. Levi pays him no mind, he takes two small teacups from his book shelf and then opens his desk drawer to pull out a bottle filled with amber liquid. He silently fills the two cups before sitting beside Eren on the bed and passing him one of the cups.

“This is a dangerous job. They knew the risks and they chose to protect you.” Levi mutters, eyes fixed on his perfectly polished boots, “tonight, we’ll drink to them and tomorrow, we train harder and we honour their sacrifice.”

Levi holds his cup up and Eren taps his own against it and then they drink. It burns Eren’s throat as he swallows and he feels it sit in his stomach, causing a warmth that he’s never felt before. He waits a couple more minutes before drinking the remaining alcohol in his cup. Levi refills their cups and they drink again.

“I’m working on getting you out of the cell more,” Levi says

Eren shrugs, “It’s fine,”

“They can’t treat you like an animal,” he frowns, “you’re human and you need to see more than one room.”

Eren lets out an ugly snort which draws Levi’s sharp eyes, “I’m hardly human,”

“Where the fuck, did you get a stupid idea like that?” Levi demands, his tone is harsh, “did someone tell you that you weren’t human?”

Eren’s head is starting to feel lighter and his skin is tingling slightly, he sighs heavily. “I don’t need to hear it, I know I’m not.”

Levi growls, he puts his cup onto the floor and reaches under his bed and retrieves a small flip knife and before Eren can stop him, the man has opened the knife and pulled the blade across his palm, slicking a thin line which begins to bleed. Eren knocks the knife from his hand and it lands on the floor by their feet.

“Look.” He demands, “this is what makes us human. Blood makes us human, pain makes us human.”

Eren shakes his head, places his cup on the floor and moves to kneel before his Captain, he takes the handkerchief from Levi’s pocket and ties it tightly around his hand where it immediately soaks up the blood from his palm. He grabs the knife and holds it loosely.

“For you, blood and pain make you human,” he speaks quietly and then he presses the blade down into his wrist and draws the knife up the length of his forearm. The wound starts to bleed but it also begins to smoke and his skin knits itself together and within seconds, there is no trace of the wound existing. “For me, blood and pain make me into monster. If I was human, that cut would’ve killed me.”

His head is spinning a little as he carefully wipes the knife clean on his trousers and places under the bed, where Levi had found it. When Eren looks up again, Levi is staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“If you’re not human, then you’re just something better,” 

Levi rocks forward and slots their lips together. Eren jerks back suddenly, almost falling before he manages to catch his own weight. He looks up at Levi, who just stares back. “I thought this couldn’t happen again?”

Levi shrugs, “Maybe I was wrong,”

Eren doesn’t wait for him to change his mind, the thought of getting his hands on the plains of soft skin which conceal strong muscles is too good. He places one hand onto the man’s jaw and slowly brings their lips together again.

It’s different to the last time. There’s no sense of urgency or demand for quick release, their mouths are moving together with ease at a leisurely pace. Eren sits up onto his knees, settling between Levi’s thighs as the man’s hands reach into his hair. His head is swimming, every one of Levi’s touches leaves a tingling sensation on his skin.

After several minutes, Levi presses his thighs tightly against Eren’s chest and uses them to pull Eren up onto the bed. The younger boy complies, crawling up onto the mattress and rolling onto his back when Levi pushes him that way. Levi climbs on top of him, legs either side of his waist and Eren can’t stop himself from grabbing them, feeling the muscle move beneath his hands as the man leans forward to kiss him again.

They take their time undressing each other, carefully placing their discarded clothes onto the floor instead of throwing them across the room. Their fingers roam over skin and feel every contour, they discover that Levi melts when Eren runs his tongue over the shell of his ear but Eren freezes when Levi touches the titan-soft-spot on the back of his neck. Levi is ticklish under his armpits but Eren loves when Levi bites at his inner thigh.

By the time that Levi has Eren prepped, they’re both panting and on the edge of orgasm already. Levi slides in and barely gives Eren a second to adjust before he’s gently rocking his hips backwards and forwards. He maintains a slow pace, his lips never leaving Eren’s for more than a few second. As they both begin to get closer, Levi seizes Eren’s ankles and uses them to pull the boy’s legs up and onto his shoulders. It only takes a few more thrusts and then Eren is coming hard, releasing a series of moans and incoherent words. 

Levi watches as the kid coats his thumb with the still-warm cum on his stomach and then he pushes his thumb into Levi’s mouth and Levi is not ashamed to say that he came immediately.

He pulls out soon after, and just collapses on the younger boy’s chest, his face pushed into the sweaty skin of Eren’s neck and breathes heavily. After several minutes, Levi rolls off to lay beside him on the bed, both staring up at the ceiling with content expressions.

They stay there for a long time, until the come on Eren’s chest has dried, Levi’s dick is soft and the remains of his orgasm have started to leak out of Eren and have made a mess on the soft blanket.

Eren stands and stumbles into the bathroom, he returns having washed the come from his chest and thighs and he drops a warm cloth onto Levi’s chest. Whilst Levi slowly cleans himself, Eren redresses and pull on his boots.

“I should come and lock you in,” Levi sighs, moving to stand but Eren pushes him back down.

“I can do the shackles and I’ll close the door,” he says softly, “just make sure you’re the one to open it in the morning.” He can see his Captain’s hesitation, and he lets his eyes drag along the man’s naked body again, “I’m not going anywhere,”

Levi relaxes, a smirk causing his lips to twitch. “Okay, I trust you,”

Eren stands and makes his way to the door, his hand is on the door knob when he stops and quickly turns, strides across the room and presses a final kiss onto Levi’s lips. He’s almost out the door when he hears the man say his name, “Brat”

“I know,” he replies, “can’t happen again.”


	6. Jump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to 'cristallina' who has been my no.1 fan for this story so far!

Eren quickly realised that the problem with being in a small room, without windows and he’d only left three times this week, is that after a while, he was quickly going mad.  His only contact being infrequent and short visits from Armin and Mikasa, the soldiers who bring his food down and Levi, who comes down at least once a day to tell him they’re still trying to appeal the Military Police about getting permission to let him out more.

He’d cleaned every inch of the cell with buckets of water he was brought every morning alongside his breakfast.  Armin had tried to give him some books to read but the light in his cell was so bad that he couldn’t see the words on the page.  So, Eren spent most of his days working out; repeatedly doing round after round of push-ups, sit-ups and squats for hours just to help pass the time and exhaust his body so that he could sleep when night came.

The only reason he’s aware of the time of day, is because his meals are brought at the same time every day.  Breakfast at 7am, lunch at midday, dinner at 7pm.  He’d tried to speak to some of the soldiers who bring his food, but he was met with hostile stares, muttered insults or silence.

Eren nearly cries in relief when he hears footsteps descending the staircase, the sound echoing around the otherwise silent room.  He jumps off the floor, where he’d been working out and stands to attention at the end of the bed but relaxes when Levi rounds the corner.

“Brat, put on your civilian clothing,” he says shortly, barely looking at Eren, instead apprising the cleaning job which the boy had done that morning.

Eren’s heart leaps but he tries not to let it show as he pulls a green shirt and dark trousers from his clothing trunk.  He changes as quickly as his shaking hands will allow and as soon as he’s finished pulling on his shoes, Levi unlocks the door and lets Eren exit.

They head straight outside and Eren wants to collapse onto the grass and roll around in the sunshine.  He can’t stop himself from standing and just taking several deep breathes and smiling brightly as the breeze washes over his skin, causing the hairs on his skin to rise.  Levi waits patiently, understanding that he needs this moment to appreciate the world beyond his cell.  When Eren gathers himself again, he nods to Levi and they continue their walk towards the stables.

“Where are we going?” he asks hesitantly.

“Erwin needs a team to check over the wall with the Titan in it and check there isn’t more structural damage or signs of it trying to escape.” Levi states, his tone bland as he recites the orders, “I managed to get those assholes in the interior to let you out for the day.”

“But not as a member of the Military?”

“No,” he grimaces, “you’re just along for the ride and I’m still on leave for my leg but Erwin is busy so…” he tails off with a shrug and Eren notices for the first time that he’s not wearing the Scout uniform, but instead dressed nicely in black slacks, a white shirt, a long black coat and shoes so clean that you could see your reflection.

“Thank you, Sir,” he nods as they turn the corner and Eren sees that there’s a group already prepping the horses for the ride.  Connie, Sasha, Mikasa and Jean are all in uniform, all laughing as they wait.  Eren stares longingly at their ODM gear that each of them carries, that’s what he missed the most since he’d been locked away, the freedom and release that the equipment gives him.

The squad all stand to attention as they approach and all smile at Eren.

“Simple there and back,” Levi says, “questions?”

He’s met with silence, and Levi nods and then, in one swift movement, he heaves himself up onto his large black horse.  Eren’s stomach pools with warmth at the display of strength and grace.  The younger boy quickly distracts himself by approaching his own horse and mounting with far less grace than his Captain.

They ride without formation, moving quickly but not at full speed and Eren relishes in the feeling of wind on his face.  Levi rides ahead but stays close to him, probably under orders to keep Eren within reach, should he need to kill him.  Mikasa rides beside him, asking him short questions about his wellbeing and Eren can see she’s furious about his treatment but not willing to ruin his day out by verbalising her thoughts.  Jean rides on Mikasa’s other side, whilst Connie and Sasha stay behind them, arguing about something that happened the previous night at dinner.  The birds are calling out above them as they fly together and all come to land in a nearby tree, as they pass a farm, the scent of freshly cut grass washes over him and Eren lets out a happy sigh.

The journey takes a few hours but it’s over far too quickly for Eren’s liking; it seems that they’ve only just left the Castle before they’re arriving at the inner most Wall.  He tries not to pout but by the way Levi rolls his eyes, he’s unsuccessful.

Levi leads their squad through the twisting streets which sit below Wall Sina, just outside of Stohess, and the leave their horses with a family who agree to feed and water them in exchange for money.  They take the elevators up onto the Wall and Eren sticks close to Levi as he notices that some members of the Garrison begin to reach for their weapons when they see him.

Once in position, Levi brings the group in close and they all stand straight, their attention solely focused on their small Captain.

“Okay, shitheads.” He starts, “Ackerman and Kirschtein, I want you to drop down and check the site, has the hole opened further? Is the titan active?” the two confirm, move to the edge and use their ODM gear to abseil down.  “Springer and Braus, I want you to check the upper wall and the opposite side for any cracks or signs of structural damage.”

They both salute before they begin a slow walk along the top of the wall, their eyes glued to the surface as they check for cracks.  Eren sighs and moves towards the edge to peer over at Mikasa and Jean, he can see the tops of their heads as they survey the damage.

“Don’t fall,” Levi comments drily, “it’ll be too much paperwork,”

Eren lets out an unattractive snort and walks away from the edge to sit beside Levi on a wooden box full of cannon ammunition.  They sit in silence for several minutes, the only sounds coming from the wind and the soldiers talking amongst themselves.

“I’ll be back on active duty in a week or two,” Levi says quietly, “I’ve already discussed with Erwin that you’ll be joining me.  You can’t leave my side but you’ll be out of that cage”

Eren’s heart soars, the thought that he might be able to regularly leave his cell again soon has him pushing back the urge to jump up and down in excitement.  Instead, Eren collects himself and gives his Captain a heartfelt smile, “Thank you, Sir,”

Levi gives him a side glance, “Stop calling me, Sir!” he snaps, “it makes me feel like a creepy fucker who sleeps with his soldiers on the regular,”

He can’t stop the laugh which bubbles out of him, “Sorry Levi,” he pauses, his face becoming serious and voice sincere “but thank you, truly, I think I’ll kill myself if I have to stay in that room forever,”

“Well, don’t off yourself just yet,” he replies, “you’re still Humanity’s best hope at escaping this mess,”

Eren isn’t sure why he says it, but his brain-to-mouth filter seems to fail him in that moment.  He nudges Levi with his own shoulder, “And, without me, you’d need to find a new soldier to sleep with on the regu–” Levi sharply pushes him off the box and onto his ass, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as the younger boy splutters and stands.

“CAPTAIN,” Jean announces as he and Mikasa climb up onto the top of the wall and then approach.  “Captain, the breach site has not been altered or disrupted, there are no signs of structural damage and the Titan within seems sedentary,”

Levi nods, and pulls out a small notebook and writes for several seconds before he puts the book back into his pocket.  “We’ll leave once those assholes are back,”

The four of them stand atop the wall, waiting patiently for Connie and Sasha to return from their observations of the external side of the Wall.  Eren watches Mikasa pull her green cloak tighter around her body and notices for the first time that the wind has a slight chill to it.  He doesn’t feel cold, hasn’t since the first time he transformed into a Titan, he runs hotter now than he used to, which is beneficial during the bitter cold nights in his cell with a single blanket.

Sasha swings up onto the Wall and Connie follows shortly after.

“No signs of structural damage, Sir!” Connie reports.

Levi nods again, and he brings the notebook out again.  Connie walks to stand beside Eren and gives him a pat on the back.

“Must feel great to be out,” he says brightly and Eren nods, “I think I’d go crazy down there, y’know?”

“Yes,” he replies drily, “I do know,”

Connie blushes and gives Eren a sheepish smile, “Sorry,” he reaches into the inside of his cloak and pulls out a small bar wrapped in thick paper.  “You gotta try this, it’s an oat bar made with honey, a speciality of my Village.  My Mother sent it to me,”

Sasha squeaks, “You brought snacks?  I WANT SOME!”

Eren watches the entire thing happen in slow motion.

Sasha launches herself towards Connie and the food, knocking Captain Levi as she flies through the air.  The man stumbles back several steps from the impact, straight off the Wall.  He lets out a short yell and then he’s falling.

Levi was falling off Wall Sina.

Eren’s legs act before his brain and he runs and swan dives off the edge after the man.  Mikasa scream his name but the sound is soon too far away for him to hear as he plummets towards the ground.

He easily reaches Levi, and wraps his arms around the older man and brings his hand to his mouth.

“NO!” Levi shouts but Eren just smiles sadly and then bites down into his skin.  He feels the blood fill his mouth.

_I need him to protect him._

Yellow electricity explodes from his hand and his body begins to shift immediately.  His ribs expanding, ripping out of his skin and produce new muscle and skin.  His arms grow around the tiny body pressed against him.

They land with a huge crash, which shakes the ground.  The dust settles quickly, revealing giant ribcage, with hands clasped tightly over its heart and half of Eren’s human body hanging out where there should be a head and neck.

“EREN!” Mikasa yells as she lands on his collarbone, the other quickly behind her.

He pulls his face from the Titan with a shout, his face marred with burn patterns.  “Levi,” he gasps and then he opens the Titan’s hands and reveals the Captain, completely unscathed despite his 50-meter fall.  Eren lets out a relieved sigh and then forcefully pulls his arms and chest from the Titan form which quickly begins to steam.

The team are all safely on solid ground as the Titan form begins to fall away into nothingness.

Between one blink and the next, they’re suddenly surrounded.  Soldiers from the Garrison and Military Police surround them on all sides, sword drawn and more soldiers are dropping in every second.  The villagers have formed a crowd and watch as Eren slowly raises his hands into the air and begins to walk towards the soldiers.

“My name is Eren Yeager and I created this Titan body, there is no attack,”

“Eren Yeager,” one of the Military police reply, and he recognises the man as Annie’s old squad leader.  “You are under arrest, do not resist or we will be forced to attack,”

Eren nods, keeping his hands in the air as he walks towards the man.  He is immediately pushed to the floor and pinned by countless bodies.

“Stop!” Mikasa shouts, and she starts to advance but both Sasha and Jean stop her.  She fights against them until Eren is quickly placed in restraints and they take him away.

“He knew what would happen when he transformed,” Levi tells her, “we can’t do anything for him now.  We need to get back and tell Erwin.”

The team move with speed and efficiently as they pay the Villager, mount their horses and ride hard for the Scout HQ.


	7. Blood for Blood

Eren is back in a cell.

Except this cell is smaller, with a smaller bed and tighter shackles which rub the skin at his wrists until they bleed and then he heals.  It’s an uncomfortable and painful cycle.  There are constantly two guards outside his cell which reach for their blades every time he moves.

He mostly sleeps; exhausted both physically and mentally from the events.

He’s still wearing the same clothes and hasn’t washed since he was arrested.  He’s heard nothing about what was to come of him, and when he’d tried to ask about his squad, he’d been kicked in the stomach.

He waits for an unknown number of days.

He wakes to the door outside his cell being slammed open and Levi struts in, wearing his full uniform and Eren has never been so pleased to see him in his entire life.

“Leave,” he barks at the soldiers who both salute and scurry from the room.

Levi unlocks the cell door with jerky movements and Eren moves to stand at the end of the bed, the shackles rubbing harshly at his skin.

“Levi, I am so gl–” _SMACK_!  Eren stumbles but catches himself and brings a hand up to cup his jaw.  Levi punched him. “What the–”

_SMACK!_

_SMACK!_

Eren falls to his knees but Levi seizes the front of his shirt and pulls him up again.

“You are _stupid_ , _idiotic_ , _retarded_ fucking _child_ ,” each word is said with venom and followed with a heavy punch to the face.

Eren’s front tooth falls from his mouth and onto the dirty floor and it’s a strange moment of nostalgia before Levi drives a knee into his stomach.

“What the _fuck_ were you thinking?” he yells, heaving Eren to his feet again onto to shake him.  “There’s a trial.  They could kill you.  Do you have any idea how serious this is?”  Levi is quickly losing the very thin grasp of control he started with, “Why would you do something so stupid? WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?”

Eren punches him.

He punches Levi with all the strength he can manage.

“You were going to die!” he yells back.

“Then I fucking die!” Levi seethes, not acknowledging the blood that’s tricking from his nose.

“NO, YOU DON’T!” Eren roars, pushing the older man away from him, “YOU DON’T GET TO DIE!  YOU ARE HUMANITY’S STRONGEST.  THEY CAN’T LOSE YOU.” his voice falls suddenly and he whispers, “I can’t lose you…”

Levi hesitates.  Torn between wanting to punch the kid until he can’t move and –

He goes for option two.

Which is to put a hand onto Eren’s neck and pull him forwards sharply to bring their mouths together in a bruising kiss.  His finger nails are digging into the boy’s skin but Eren doesn’t seem to mind as he kisses back with his own rage.

Levi pulls away and harshly pushes the kid onto the bed on all fours and tugs at his trousers, getting them half way down Eren’s thighs when he reaches round and shoves his fingers before the boy’s mouth.  “Suck.”  Eren complies, bringing the fingers into his mouth and coating them in as much spit as possible before Levi pulls them back and immediately presses one finger into his ass and a second finger only moments later.

With one hand prepping Eren, the man uses his spare to quickly undo his own belt and zipper and then he pushes his trousers enough to reveal his already hard cock.  He adds a third finger, not giving the other any time to adjust before he’s moving it and spreading his fingers slightly to prepare the other boy for what’s to come.  He retracts his fingers and spits into his hand, rubs it onto his dick and then pushes into Eren.

His pace is hard, fast and unrelenting.

“Fucking idiot,” the Captain mutters, mostly to himself as Eren moans beneath him.  “So fucking retarded and you never fucking learn,”

He grips the boy’s hips and increases his speed.

“Such a fucking bra-AAAHHH”

Levi comes mid-insult and once he’d finished, he pounds into Eren a couple more times until the other is coming onto the bedsheets beneath him.  When Eren stops, Levi snakes an arm around the boy’s chest, pulling him up onto his knees and holding Eren against his chest.  Levi’s other hand rests on Eren’s stomach and he buries his face into the boy’s shoulder.

“They could kill you, Eren” he whispers and for a moment, he thinks that Eren doesn’t hear him but then Eren covers his own hand and slides their fingers together so that their clasped on his stomach and his other hand grips Levi’s forearm over his sternum.  The man can’t help but hold him tighter.

“I know,” he replies at the same volume.  “I knew when I jumped”

“You shouldn’t have,”

“I’d do it again,”

“Fucking brat…” he says but it sounds more fond and affectionate than angry.

Levi holds him for another minute before he carefully pulls his arms back and slips his cock from the boy’s ass.  He pulls up and fastens Eren’s trousers for him and then moves off the bed to tuck himself back in and fasten his own trousers and then he sits beside him on the small bed.

“Your trial starts in the morning.” Levi tells him, reaching out and taking Eren’s hand in his own.  “Erwin has done everything, you just gotta sit there and keep your fucking mouth shut, got it?”

Eren nods slowly and when Levi looks at him, his face is covered in blood but there’s no sign of any injury except the cut on his lip which is smoking as it heals itself together.  Levi releases Eren’s hand and stands, he takes out a handkerchief and wipes at his own bloody nose.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, I’ll bring you clothes and some water to wash,”

He is walking towards the door when he hears Eren’s shackles jingle with movement. “Levi,” he says softly, his voice close.  When the man turns, Eren’s leaning towards him, arms pulled back as his shackles don’t have that much range.  Eren presses a kiss to his lips and slides their noses gently, “No matter what happens, this isn’t your fault”

Levi swallows and retreats from the room.


	8. Testimony

Levi does return the next morning, carrying a bucket of water, soap and fresh clothing.

He removes the shackles and stands against the stone wall near Eren’s bed as the boy washes and dresses into his Scout Uniform.  Levi has his face set into its blank expression but Eren can see the concern creasing the edges of his eyes.

After he’s dressed, Levi slides handcuff onto his wrists and leads him from the room and through a maze of dark, twisting corridors.  They arrive before a pair of huge, wooden doors which are guarded by two members of the Military Police.

“Just keep your mouth shut,” Levi whispers as the guards open the doors to reveal the courtroom.

Eren lets Captain Levi drag him up the length of the courtroom and push him to his knees and shackle him onto the large metal pillar before the Judge.

Just like last time, the entire courtroom is packed with officials.  The MPs to his right and the Scouts to the left, behind him are a range of Nobles and Politicians who decided they wanted to see the trial.  It’s a different Judge from his first Trial and Eren isn’t sure if he’s relieved that the man who almost sentenced him to death last time is not here or concerned about the unknown element to this man.

The trial moves quickly.  The MPs presenting their case of Eren being an unknown threat, who was clearly not being managed by the Survey Corps and was performing unsanctioned transformations.  They expressed how Eren had caused irreparable damage to the Interior and could lose control at any moment.  The campaigned for his death for almost two hours before they finally finished and Eren had to fight to keep his thoughts to himself and not call the bloke a coward who has never even fought a Titan in his life.  He can see Mikasa amongst the Scout Regiment, gritting her teeth and staring at the MP with the promise of death in her eyes.

There was a short break after the MP finished presenting his case and Sasha stepped forward to give Eren a sip of water and a few bites of stale bread.  He appreciated the thought more than the food.

When the Judge called for the Trial to recommence, everyone resumed their positions amongst their ranks or in their chairs and Erwin took a small step forward, standing just away from the rest of the Scout Regiment.

“My name is Erwin Smith, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps.” He spoke loudly, with determination clear in his voice.  He spoke of Eren’s achievements within the Scouts; his aid in sealing the wall and not letting Annie escape and then he called in the _witnesses_.  A line of people filed into the courtroom and stood before the Judge; he recognised most of them but others were people he was certain he’d never met before.  It must have taken Erwin many sleepless to organise this and Eren’s chest swelled with gratitude.

First was Hange, and she spoke about the huge advances which her Titan research had made since she began working with Eren.  How he willingly participated in any test she asked of him and reported everything in the hopes that he’d help any further advances in science for Humanity.

Hannes was heartfelt in his explanation of how he had known Eren since he was a child and he was always hot-headed in his support to rid Humanity of the Titans to ensure freedom for future generations.

Next was Sasha, who was clearly nervous as she recounted the events which led them to the courtroom.  How she’d knocked the Captain and he’d fallen and none of them even realised what had happened until after Eren had jumped after him.  She was shaking so hard that her teeth were chattering as she said she believed that without Eren, then Captain Levi would have died.

One of the unknown people stepped forward next, collaborating Sasha’s story from a different perspective.  She was an elderly lady who lived nearby and she was hanging her washing out when she saw a figure fall from the Wall and then another dive off after the first.  She’d witnessed the transformation with her own eyes and how Eren had ensured the safety of his Captain before he had willingly handed himself over to the Military Police.

Lastly, Levi himself came forward and in an emotionless tone, stated that he would have died without Eren’s intervention. That having witnessed the previous transformations Eren had performed, this was a controlled situation where he’d only shifted what was required to save his own life.  Then, Levi said something which had Eren wanting to reach out and touch him; Levi spoke of his recently deceased squad.  How they’d all willingly given their lives to protect Eren and killing him would not only be a dishonour to his team, but also every other Scout who had given their lives for Humanity.

The courtroom was silent when the Captain had stopped talking and there was a moment where no one seemed to know how to continue until the Judge cleared his throat.  He waved the line of witnesses and waited until they’d all moved aside before leaning forward onto the desk to look down at Eren.

“Mr. Yeager, I’ve yet to hear your testimony.” He stated clearly and Eren raised his head, “Would you answer some questions?”

“Yes, Sir!” he responded quickly.

“You have wanted to be a Scout since you were a child, correct?”

“Yes, Sir.” He answered,

“Why did you want to be a Scout?”

Eren hesitates, “When I was young, I wanted to kill them all and explore the world beyond the Walls,” he replies, “however, after I saw the devastation they caused in Shiganshina, I just want people to be safe.  I don’t want anyone else to experience the loss of family and friends.   I believe that Humanity can defeat the Titans and I want to help do it.”

The Judge hums and writes upon the paper in front of him.  “Why were you atop of Wall Sina without any ODM gear?”

“I’m not sure of the specifics, your Honour, however I do know that after the events in Stohess with Annie Leonhart, the MPs restricted my movements outside of my Cell whilst in the Scout HQ, meaning that I was unable to leave my Cell for several days.” He takes a breath, swallowing despite his dry mouth, “Captain Levi disapproved of this and became concerned for my mental health and quality of life whilst within the Cell.  When he was tasked with leading a small squad to Stohess to check the Wall for structural damage following my encounter with Annie, he was given permission for me to join him but only as an observer, which meant I was not in uniform and without my equipment.”

“I see,” the Judge wrote something else, “Why did you jump after the Captain?”

“Captain Levi was also not wearing any ODM equipment, I saw him fall and… and–” Eren sighs heavily, “quite honestly, Your Honour, I didn’t even think about it.  I knew I could save his life and I jumped, in that moment, he wasn’t my Captain or Humanity’s Strongest, he was a man whose life I could save.  I would have jumped for any member of my squad, or any other solider or civilian if I knew I could save them.  The Titans have killed enough Humans and if I can prevent one death then I will do so, again and again, regardless of the consequences.”

“Thank you, Mr Yeager,” the Judge says

He calls another break so that he can decide Eren’s fate.

He catches Armin’s gaze and the boy gives him a small, very unconvincing smile.  Sasha tries to give him another sip of water but her hands are still shaking so Connie takes it from her and helps Eren drink.  He thanks them both as the court is resumed for the last time.

The Judge begins by reviewing all the evidence shows from both sides and he expresses his thanks to both Nile and Erwin for their time.  He’s about to give his verdict when the door opens and Commander Pixis steps forward into the centre of the room with a sheepish smile.

“Apologies, Your Honour,” he says, although he doesn’t sound sorry at all, “Please forgive my tardiness, I was attending a meeting in the Northern districts but when I heard about the Trial, I rode straight here.”

The Judge nods, waving a hand for him to continue,

“Thank you.  I want to express my opinion of Eren Yeager with the hopes that you’ll take it into account for your verdict.”

“Of course, Commander,”

“I first met young Eren when he first discovered his ability and Commander Kitz tried to shoot him with a canon.  Even standing half dead with a Garrison waiting for a single order to kill him, Eren appealed to use his newfound ability to help fight on behalf of Humanity.” The man says, pacing forward and back the front of the courtroom at a leisurely pace, “He worked with us to seal with breach in Trost, granted that it was not a flawless exercise but it was successful regardless.  I have met Eren several more times since that first occasion and he is always ready to step forward for his fellow Human and sacrifice himself to protect another; whilst this is not a good quality for most soldiers, with Eren’s extraordinary healing abilities, he is able to take hits which would have otherwise killed another soldier.

“In addition to his exemplary record as a soldier, Eren has provided us with the first new information about Titans in the last century.  He has given us a fighting chance against these monsters and I believe he will continue to work with Squad Leader Hange to explore his abilities and discover new ways to fight against the Titans.  I find it important to acknowledge the fact it is highly likely that there are more Human-Titan-Shifters living within our Walls and with his help, we may be able to uncover the identities of more Shifters.  Finally, I would also like to mention that prior the Annie Leonhart incident, Eren had the freedom within the Scout HQ that he could have run at any moment and escaped over the wall and return to Shiganshina alone, however, he instead chose to stay with his comrades and trust his Commanding officers with information relating to his childhood home where it is believed that Dr Yeager conducted research which may reveal more about the Titans and further our campaign against them.”  Commander Pixis saluted the Judge, and then moved to stand in line with the Scout Regiment to Eren’s left.

“Thank you for your testimony, Commander,” the Judge said respectfully, although his face was saying anything but ‘thank you’ for the interruption.  “My ruling, however, remains unchanged.”  Eren’s stomach felt like it was filled with rocks, twisted and tied in knots and the anxiety has caused sweat to bead across his forehead.  “Mr Yeager, you are to be returned to the custody of the Scouting Regiment, under Captain Levi, with your movement restrictions lifted under the condition that you are accompanied by a Senior Officer at all times.  However, I give you this warning now, should you appear in this courtroom again, you _will_ _not_ be leaving. Is that understood?”

“Y-Yes Sir!” Eren stutters out.  “Thank you, Sir!”

Eren remains still as the Judge leaves and people begin to file out of the courtroom.  Levi releases his shackles but leaves before he can try and speak with him.  Erwin approaches first and Eren stands in a salute, his fist held strong over his heart.  “Commander Erwin, thank you–”

“Eren, you don’t have to thank me,” he interrupts, “everything said here today was true and that speaks for itself.  I expect to see you at HQ tomorrow for morning practice,”

Eren seeks Commander Pixis next, only to find him leaving with Levi at his side.  But before Eren can go after them, he is surrounded by his comrades.  Mikasa hugs him briefly but Sasha pushes her away to hug Eren so tight that he coughs, “I’m so sorry, Eren.  This is all Connie’s fault”

“Wait, what!?” Connie yells, “you’re the one who pushed the Captain off the Wall!”

“But you had delicious snacks, what did you expect to happen?” she argues back, finally releasing him in favour of facing Connie, “you should take responsibility,”

Eren tunes out the sound of their continuous bickering as Jean pats him on the shoulder, “I thought you were a dead for sure this time,” Jean says as Krista smiles up at him and Ymir nods in agreement with Jean.

“So, did I,” he replies, “I just want to get back to HQ,”

“We got a cart outside,” Armin says, “ready to take you back”

Eren nods and walks between Mikasa and Armin.  He finds Levi, Hange and Erwin already sat in the cart and the three climb in and take a seat.

Hange gives him a bright smile as the cart begins to move, “Good to have you back, Eren”

Eren doesn’t reply but he does lock eyes with Levi, who nods in agreement and pushes the side of his shoe against Eren’s.


	9. Suck and Blow

Eren’s running on pure energy by the time they get back to HQ, the Castle looms over them and he feels a sense of ‘home’ wash over him.  When the carriage pulls up, he jumps over the edge of the carriage instead of waiting for the others to get off the steps.  He hears Levi give an unattractive snort when he almost falls upon landing.

“Eren! We’ll be training after lunch tomorrow, so be prepared!” Hange says, as she approaches him.

“Of course,”

She pulls him into a short hug and whispers, “I’m glad your home,” the words are so quiet that he almost misses them.  He blushes and hugs her back tightly until she pulls away and walks off with Erwin and Levi.

Mikasa and Armin are stood off to the side and they smile as he approaches them.

“Dinner will be soon,” Mikasa informs him, “you hungry?”

“Starving,” he grins as he leads the way towards the Mess hall.

The other soldiers give him sideways glances, some still looking with distrust but others with a sense of admiration of him having jumped from The Wall.  He acts the same as usual and gathers his food before taking a seat at one of the tables with Mikasa and Armin but they’re quickly joined by Jean, Reiner and Bertholdt.

They talk quietly amongst themselves, the others catching him up on what he’d missed whilst he was locked away in a cell.  Apparently, Christa and Ymir had been acting like _something_ was happening, whilst Connie and Sasha continued to cover their attraction by arguing.  Captain Levi had been ruthless in his training and Mikasa beat the HQ record for the fastest time for the Assault Course.  Mostly, Eren just sits and appreciates the noise of his friends speaking around him as he eats food that isn’t rice and beans.

He glances up when he hears Hange’s bellowing laugh across the hall, and his eyes catch onto Levi’s face and he can’t stop the smile that threatens to break across his face.  The Captain is staring endlessly into the cup he holds in his hand as the officers around him engage in conversation and laugh freely amongst themselves, except, Levi doesn’t seem to be listening to them at all.

Much like Eren isn’t to his own friends.

That’s probably why Jean elbows him in the ribs and Reiner raises his eyebrows.

“What?” he asks, sounding as dumb as he probably looks right now.

“Weren’t you listening?” Jean gawks, “we asked you a question!  Just because you’re some big shot, doesn’t mean you can just ignore people!”

Eren frowns, glancing back at the table and considering his half-finished dinner, “Sorry, I’m just tired,” he says quietly, taking a sip of his tea.

“Why don’t you go get some sleep, Eren?” Armin suggests softly, “we all have to be up early tomorrow”

Bertholdt nods, “And the Captain is going to ride you hard because you’ve missed so much training”

Eren chokes on his tea, then coughs and splutters until Mikasa hits him on the back several times.  When he finally manages to breathe again, he finds the entire table watching him with expressions which clearly say, ‘what the fuck is wrong with this guy?’

“I-I hadn’t… hadn’t thought of that.” He explains weakly, “you’re right, I should definitely get an early night.” He stands onto slightly shaky legs, “goodnight everyone,”

The bid him goodnight and Eren deposits his remaining food in from of Sasha, who yells her appreciations as he leaves the mess hall.  He glances up towards the main table as he goes and notices that Levi has left since he last looked.

Despite Eren’s determination to go to his cell and get some sleep, his feet seem to be leading him away from his cell and towards Levi’s room.  He stops outside the door and hesitates for a few seconds before he takes a deep breath and knocks lightly.

“What!?” the Captain’s sharp response rings through the empty corridor.

Eren nods to himself and opens the door, slipping through and quickly closing the door behind him again.  The room is as pristine as every other time he’d seen it, the bookshelf organised by author with a small space left on the middle shelf to hold a tea set.  The clothes trunk is shut with the next morning’s clothes folded neatly atop the lid and the bed is perfectly made, with no wrinkles and the pillows plumped.

Levi stands in the doorway to his bathroom, his hair dripping wet and a towel hung around his waist.  Eren takes a moment to allow his eyes to wander up the length of his body, appreciating the way his muscles look when water droplets are running down his torso.

“What do you want, shitty brat?”

The words snap Eren out of his trace and he shakes his head slightly, forcing himself to look _only_ at Levi’s face.  Which, honestly, is just as distracting.  He stares just over the man’s head and hopes that the he doesn’t notice.

“Sir, I wanted to say thank you!” he says suddenly.

Eren quickly dodges the clock which is thrown from the bedside table towards his head. “Dammit, I told you to stop calling me, Sir!” the man yells, hand hovering over his oil lamp as if he’s preparing to throw that if Eren says it again.

“Sorry,”

“What do you want?” Levi repeats.

“I-I want extra training,” Eren answers, the words surprising himself as they pass his lips.  Silence hangs in the air for a moment, as Levi raises his eyebrows, expecting him to continue but Eren is still mulling over the fact that he has no brain-to-mouth filter.  Eventually, Eren just sighs heavily, “I want to be able to fight and protect those I care about; as a human and as a Titan.”

Levi nods, “Okay,”

“Really?” he blinks, because he had come up with that explanation on the spot and hadn’t expected the Captain to agree, and now he’s at a loss as to what to say next.

The other man walks closer, grabbing the water bottle from his desk and taking a drink before replacing it where it was before.  “I’ve been thinking that you need to improve your hand-to-hand; that much was obvious during your fight with Annie in the forest.  But we could also use your Titan form to our advantage using the ODM gear.”

Eren nods, but he’d stopped listening after the part about the forest because Levi is stepping closer and he’s semi-naked and dammit, Eren could have _died_ today.

He reaches out and gently takes hold of Levi’s bicep and moves him until the man’s back is pushed against the door and he’s pushing at the towel around his waist until it drops to the floor.  Levi doesn’t object, he just watches as Eren sinks to his knees as licks a stripe up the underside of the man’s cock, which twitches in his hand.  He strokes the length with his hand and presses kisses to Levi’s hips until he’s hard and Eren starts to suck on the tip.

“Yeager?” Levi says, voice tight as he struggles not to moan.

Eren pops his mouth off his dick and looks up at him through big eyes, “Problem?”

Levi snorts, “Shut up and suck my dick,”

The boy nods and gets to work.  He’s never done this before but he’d overheard some of the girls talking about it in the academy; use your hands and your tongue and keep a good rhythm.  He holds the base and swirls his tongue, sucking as much into his mouth as he can without gagging and using his hand to cover the remaining flesh.  The noises which the Captain makes encourage him and he experiments with his movements, moving his tongue this way and that or twisting his hand as he pushes his head downwards.  He categorises each reaction as to whether it’s a success or not and when he eventually gets a loud, drawn-out moan from the man’s mouth, he settles on repeating that move at a steady pace.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Levi pants, his hand moving into Eren’s hair and holding it as his head bobs on and off his dick, “Fuck. If you keep doing that, I’m going to come in your mouth”

Eren hums, sending vibrations down the man’s cock and causing another moan, he looks up him through heavily lidded eyes and nods slightly, trying to convey that he _wants_ Levi to come in his mouth.

“Jesus, fucking–” He closes his eyes and lets his other hand drop onto Eren’s shoulder and squeeze it tightly.  Eren continues to move at the same pace, staring up at the other man as he forces himself to stay in control of his body.  “N-Now,”

Eren hums again and then Levi is shouting out as warm liquid fills his mouth.  He swallows instinctively but there’s too much and a small amount dribbles from his lip and down the front of his chin.  As Levi comes to a stop, he slowly his pace and then pulls off gently.

The two just stare at each other for several minutes.  Levi panting heavily and trying to stop his legs shaking as Eren just appreciates the man before him, who usually stood so tall, who he’d just taken apart with his mouth.  Eren uses his thumb to wipe his chin and then he licks it clean.

“Fuckin–” Levi leans down and grabs Eren’s face in his hands before pushing their mouths together.

Eren wonders absently if Levi can taste his own come inside his mouth but he pushes the thought from his head as he moves to stand and kiss the other man back.  When they break apart, they’re both breathing heavily and flushed pink.

“I’d better to my cell,” Eren says quietly,

“You could stay,” Levi replies, hands pushing underneath Eren’s shirt.

“It’s okay, I gotta get some sleep,” there’s a smile tugging at the edges of his lips, “I have training in the morning and I hear the teacher is a total hard-ass”

Levi laughs, and it takes Eren by surprise slightly because it’s not a snort but an actual _laugh_.  “Shithead,” he says, “you get extra push-ups”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he takes a step back, letting Levi’s hands drop back down to his sides, “Goodnight, Levi.”

The man nods and moves away from the door to let Eren slip from his room.  Eren makes it about ten yards from the door before he notices the very obvious erection he’s sporting, he takes some breathes, tries to think about Mikasa and hurries back to his cell with the hopes that he doesn’t run into anyone along the way.


	10. Armin

Despite how gruelling it can be, Eren enjoys the morning workout that the recruits do.  The laps warm his body and stretch the muscles which had been cramped into his small bed overnight, and then the push-ups make his biceps scream in a blissful agony and when he does sit-ups, he pushes himself harder to feel the burn in his stomach and thighs.

“When did you get so strong?” Jean asks as he struggles to complete another push-up.

Eren feels the burn in his muscles but pushes through and keeps a good up-down-up-down pace for his own push-ups.  “I was locked away for weeks, I had to do something” he replies

“You spent all that time in your cell, just working out?” Connie asks from his other side, face red and puffing.

“Yeah,”

Eren keeps going, alternating between sit-ups and push-ups when instructed by Captain Levi and after a while, the other soldiers begin collapsing under the strain of their own bodies.  But Eren powers through; revelling in the way his body is dripping with sweat under the morning sun and the grass is pushing up against his fingers and he can feel his body is tiring but he doesn’t want to stop because he might lose this feeling.

“Okay, brat,” Levi says as he comes to stand in from of him, “you can stop now, all your classmates have given up,”

Eren stops, moving to sit on his knees and glancing around to see that he is the last remaining solider doing their routine, even _Reiner_ has given up.  He turns to look up at Levi and he’s suddenly struck by the memories of last night and his mind fills with images of the Captain completely naked with his back against his door.  Levi seems to remember too, because his breath catches and Eren could have sworn he sees a small blush before the man is pushing against his chest with the sole of his shoe and knocking him over.

“Ten minutes, then we’re moving to ODM” the man shouts.

Eren stands and grabs a water bottle and then moves to stand apart from the other recruits, enjoying the bliss of being outside.  He is so focused on the feeling of the sun on his skin that he almost doesn’t hear Armin come and stand next to him quietly.

“How long have you been sleeping with the Captain?” he asks, voice low.

Eren opens his eyes and turns to stare at him, mouth and eyes wide open. “Wha–”

“I’ve wondered for a while now,” Armin shrugs, pointedly staring forward and not looking at his friend, “he’s gentler with you and you seem happier when you’re with him.  Not to mention whatever that just was…” he motions loosely towards the training ground where the two had just been stood.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Eren says, his hands are trembling, “it’s not like we’re _together_ , we just have sex sometimes.”

“Eren,” he sighs heavily, “I won’t say anything but I think there’s more to this than you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t see the way he acted when you were in prison, even Commander Erwin wouldn’t go near him.  He punched Squad Leader Mike in the face because he asked Levi why he smelt upset.”

He can’t help but blink in confusion.  Sure, the others had said that Levi was ruthless with his training the last few days but no one mentioned anything about his foul mood or him hitting Mike.  Could that have been Levi blaming himself for what happened or…  But he’d come to Eren in his Cell in Sina.  He’d beat the shit out of him and they’d screamed at each other and had sex.  And then Levi had held him and whispered to him and then he’d held his hand.  Could that have been out of care for him or because Levi was just feeling guilty?

“I don’t know…” he says slowly,

Armin sighs again, as if Eren’s stupidity is a burden on his life, “Just think about it, okay?  Think about what you’re doing.  If it goes south, you could be removed from Scout custody.”

Eren nods numbly.  He’d never considered that, he’d been in the moment and only thought about his need and want as they’d touched.  He’d never argued against the older man when he’d initiated it and aside from the previous night, it had always been Levi starting their encounters, hadn’t it?

Was this something serious or was Levi just using him to get his dick wet?

Eren swallowed.  The relaxing feeling he’d been surrounded with before now felt like it was closing in on him.  The Castle suddenly felt more oppressive than his little cell in the Interior.  What if this was just Levi having some fun?  What could he say?  He couldn’t deny the man as he was all that stood between Eren and execution… Levi _was_ his executioner.

“Or, you guys could be happy together” Armin adds on finally, seeming that he’d waited for Eren’s thoughts to go down the rabbit hole before he finished his sentence.  “The point I’m trying to make is that you never think before you act.  But this is something you need to think through and something you need to be subtler about.”

Eren nods again.  Focusing on his words because Armin is the smartest guy he knows, “You’re right.” He takes a deep breath, glancing around to ensure there is no one listening in to their conversation, “it was never _planned_ , y’know?  We always just… _fall_ together.  It’s like there’s some force pushing us towards each other and I never realised,”

Armin nods, “I figured as much,”

“Do I stop?”

“That’s up to you,” the boy shrugs, “do you want to stop?”

“No,” the answer leaves his lips before he even consciously thinks of it.  Armin smiles softly and nods.

“Then fight for it,” he replies, “just don’t get swept away”

Eren smiles in return, “thank you,”

“I’m your friend, Eren.  I want you to be happy, you _deserve_ to be happy.” Armin suddenly chuckles to himself and when Eren gives him a questioning look, he simply says, “Mikasa is going to kill him”


	11. Train

The remainder the time morning is spent in the trees with the ODM gear and when the rest of the recruits get sent to do their daily tasks, Eren reports to Hange.

She’s in the Medical bay, pouring over books which are spread across one of the lab tables.  She doesn’t seem to notice as he knocks on the door and enters.

“Hange?” he asks hesitantly as he notices that she’s speaking to herself.

She jumps and lets out a shriek, she calms quickly when she looks and sees it’s just Eren.  “Oh, hey kid,” she smiles, her eyes tired “what can I do for you?”

Eren’s eyebrows furrow, “It’s after lunch,” he says and when she doesn’t seem to understand what he’s trying to say, he adds, “it’s time for our Titan training,”

“OH!” she stands straight and rolls her neck, “is it lunch time already?  I didn’t even know it had been breakfast,”

She looks like she’s been up all night and from the way her joints are cracking as she stretches, it seems like she hasn’t moved much either.  Eren glances at the books before her and moves closer, she’s researching the Wall.

“Why are you looking at the Wall?” he asks, turning his head to try and read one of the notes Hange had scrawled upside down on a book; it’s completely illegible in her scruffy handwriting.

“I found something… I think,” she answers, rubbing her eyes as she stands and moves over to another table that has a microscope.  Hange beckons him closer and places Eren in front of the viewer of the microscope. “This is a sample of Annie’s hardened skin,” she explains and she gives him a moment to look at it before she removes the slide and replaces it with another, “ _this_ is a sample from Wall Sina,”

“They’re the same,” Eren says quietly

Hange nods frantically, pulling him away from the microscope and towards the books again, “So, I began looking for information on the Wall origins.  But there’s nothing!” she waves her hands and Eren has to move backwards to avoid being hit in the face. “It was only one-hundred years ago, but I can’t even find any information on the origins except from those religious bastards who think they were from the Gods.” She seems irrational and unstable and he can’t help but look around for someone to help him, “there should be so much data, or at the very least, verbal information passed through generations!  Our grandparents would have been alive at the time of construction, so why doesn’t anyone know?!”

“Hange,” he says carefully, “I think you should get some sleep,”

“How can I sleep right now?” she asks, “when there is so much information to be gathered”

He sighs, “Well, do you still want to train? Or should I go help the other recruits clean?”

Hange turns away from her research and blinks, “We can train,” she says slowly, “C’mon”

She leads them outside and they walk just beyond the Castle boundary, “Hange, aren’t we a little too close to the Castle for me to transform,”

“I want to know how much control you have over what parts you transform, after you onto transformed your chest and arms to save Levi.  Besides, you can think of the Castle as incentive not to transform fully”

“Okay,” he nods.

“So, I want you to practice transforming one limb at a time,” she yawns, “Start with your left arm.”

Eren tugs off his jacket and, after a moment of deliberation where he remembers Levi’s comment, he also removes boots, placing them under a tree, which is a safe distance away from where he stands to practice his shift.  The grass is cold beneath his bare feet, despite the warm sun that’s been warming it all morning.  He closes his eyes and visualises his left arm transforming into that of his Titan.  He focuses his entire self onto that goal.

_Just the left arm.  I just need the left arm._

He slowly brings his hand to his mouth and bites down until the metallic taste fills his mouth.  The shift begins instantly, the golden flash of light rocketing upwards and the smoke filling the air. But Eren can immediately tell that it’s not right; his left arm is growing but so is the left leg and his torso.

As soon as his transformation is complete, Eren pulls his head and limbs from the Titan form and falls to the floor as the form begins to steam and disappear.

He can do better.

Eren focuses again, biting down on his hand and repeating the process.  This time he gets his both his arms but no torso.

Again.

Again.

Again.

On the fifth try, he does it.

And his left arm is sat ridiculously against his body, the bicep taller than Eren himself.  Hange hoots with excitement and runs forward to examine the arm. “Point your index finger,” she commands and it takes a few seconds for Eren to figure out the mechanics of moving this limb before he’s pointing his index finger towards the Castle. “Thumbs up,” the response is quicker now, fingers curling in and wrist twisting to put his thumb in the air.

“Should I do the other arm?”

“Sure,”

He pulls himself free of the Titan limb and gives himself a moment to catch his breath before starts to repeat the process; visualise the goal, state the goal, bite.  This time, it only takes him three tries.  Hange gets him to repeat the hand movements and it’s easier with his right hand as that’s his dominant hand.  Then he tries his left leg, which takes him nearly ten tries because he can’t seem to get his legs to transform without his arms shifting too.

He breathes a sigh of relief with his left leg grows and he’s forced to sit down on the floor due to the weight and size of the limb attached to his body.

“Wiggle your toes,” Hange commands, reaching out to poke at the flesh-covered appendages.  He tries for ten minutes before he manages to get them to twitch.  “Good, now bend your knee,” that’s easier to do, something he does so frequently in his human body that the movement seems to transfer to his Titan limb with little difficulty.  “Now the other leg,”

Releasing his leg from the giant limb is hard, every time he tries to detach himself, the muscle reattaches quickly and seals his leg within.  He’s about to ask Hange to cut him out when he finally manages to wrench his leg out of the muscle-prison and he’s sweating hard, his limbs shaking.

“We can stop, if you need” she says

Eren shakes his head and takes a few deep breaths before biting down onto his hand again.  Thankfully, his right leg transforms instantly and he doesn’t bother with Hange’s moment exercises before he’s pulling his leg from the Titan limb.

He lays back on the cold grass and stares up at the darkening sky.  They must have been at this for hours now.

“We’re done for today,” Hange says, her eyes watching as the limb steams and starts to disappear.

Eren nods, forcing himself to his feet and over to where he’d previously laid his jacket and boots down under the tree.  He pulls on his boots but just hangs the jacket over his arm, Hange falls into step beside him as they begin to walk back towards the Castle at a leisurely pace.

“Hange?” he asks and she hums, “have you thought of going and speaking to some of the older people in nearby villages?”

She raises her eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

“About the walls,” he clarifies, “some of the villages near here will have older people, and they won’t be as influenced as those who live in the Interior.”

She takes a moment to think, “That’s a good idea,” she replies as they approach the Castle gates, “I’ll speak to Erwin later today, he needs to know what I’ve found anyway.  I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention this to anyone, okay?”

“Of course,”

Hange opens her mouth to speak but she’s interrupted.

“Oi, Brat!” Levi calls out, instantly grabbing both Eren and Hange’s attention.

Levi is leant against the wall of the stable, his legs crossed at the ankle and arms crossed over his chest and _god_ , Eren wishes he didn’t look so hot right now.  Eren himself is sweaty, hair plastered to his face and shirt stuck to his back, he’s got mud down his trousers and there’s dried blood around his hands and mouth.

“Ready for our training?” he asks

Eren is so tired that all he wants is to crawl into a hole and die, not do more training but he _had_ asked Levi to give him extra training so he just takes some deep breaths.

“Yes, Captain,” he tries to smile but even his face muscles are exhausted.

“Don’t work him too hard, Levi,” Hange says, “he’s tired from our training, and I need him for more experiments tomorrow,”

“Shut up, shitty glasses,” Levi says as he grabs Eren’s arm and begins to drag him again

“Good job today, Eren!” Hange calls after them and he just manages a wave before they round the corner.

Levi leads Eren to the courtyard, where there’s a single straw dummy.

“Okay, brat,” Levi says when he pushes the boy to stand in front of the dummy. “show me what you got,”

Eren drops his jacket onto the floor before stepping forward and raising his hands into a defensive position.  He focuses on making quick and efficient strikes against the inanimate object; pushing the remaining energy he has into the punches and kicks which he delivers. He also tries desperately not to think about the grey eyes which are assessing his every movement.

Every now and then, the Captain will snap at him for not keeping his arms up or for not keeping his back straight during a kick.  He’ll yell that Eren’s getting lax in his attacks and isn’t maintaining his footing when he punches.

The sky is completely dark when Levi calls him to a stop.

“It’s a fucking wonder you’ve survived this long at all,” Levi comments harshly.

“I’m not that bad,” Eren snaps back, his shaky legs finally giving way and he falls to the floor.

“You’re not good either,”

Eren ignores the bubbling pit of anger forming in his stomach and instead chooses to lay down into the damp grass and stare up at the stars in the sky.  He lets his heartrate settle and continues to focus on breathing normally.

“Brat, you gotta get up,” Levi says, voice void of any of the harshness it had previously held, just the emotionless tone which Eren hasn’t had directed at him for a while.

“Don’t call me that,” he growls back, “if I have to call you Levi, then you’ve got to call me by my name too.”

He’s met with silence.  It hangs heavily in the air, creating an atmosphere so thick that it could be cut with a blade.  Eren half expects a boot to the stomach for answering back, or at least an equally rude reply but instead, Levi sits down beside him on the grass.

“Okay,” he says quietly, “that seems reasonable, Eren”

Eren can’t help but sit up a onto his elbows because that’s the first time he’s ever heard Levi says his name.  Usually, he calls him, ‘brat’, ‘kid’, ‘Yeager’ or some mix of profanities which only the man could form together.

He can’t help the smile that’s spreading across his face and he glances around to make sure they’re alone before he grabs the front of Levi’s green cloak and pulls him down into a kiss.  It’s a simple press of their lips, a short and sweet kiss which ends when they break apart quickly and Levi frowns deeply.

“Firstly, never kiss me when your face is covered in sweat, dirt and dried blood, it’s fucking disgusting,” he says, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and rubs it against Eren’s mouth, pressing harder to remove the dried and flaking blood, when he’s happy with his work, he shoves the dirty handkerchief into his pocket “Secondly, if you’re going to kiss me, at least do it properly and not like a schoolgirl”

Eren grins again and sits up all the way and then he leans forward to kiss Levi again, it’s slower this time but deeper, their tongues sliding together leisurely and several minutes until Eren pulls away to breathe heavily.  They stare at each other for a long time, not kissing but not moving apart either.

“Eren, you _really_ need to shower,” Levi says eventually, his nose wrinkling, “and dinner has finished so we’re gunna have to scrounge something from the kitchens for ourselves.”

Levi stands in one fluid motion but when Eren moves to follow, his legs are like jelly and it takes him several moments to get himself steady on his feet and he follows Levi inside with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear all,  
> I won't be updating for about a week as I have 3 essays due to University (due in the next few weeks) which I have completely neglected in favour of this story.  
> Sorry for the delay  
> See you soon!


	12. Eren Yeager's Day Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> Updates will most likely still be a little slow as still trying to actually do some work for university  
> Hope you all like this chapter

The next week passes in a similar way.

He starts his day with breakfast and the usual workout with the other Scout recruits before they all practice ODM manoeuvres.  After lunch, he and Hange ride away from the Castle to do his Titan training and after they ride back, he trains with Levi until dinner, and he passes out on his bed immediately after eating.

Eren is running on fumes by the seventh day of this routine, the amount of sleep he’s getting not offsetting how much energy he’s spending each day.  So, he almost cries with gratitude when the Captain announces that the recruits all have a day off over breakfast.

He sits with Mikasa and Armin for an hour after breakfast finishes, just talking quietly about their week and any news they’ve heard from the other recruits.  Eren can feel himself falling asleep at the table, so he excuses himself by happily announcing he’s going to take a nap.  He almost slips down the stairs to his cell when he tries to remove his jacket at the same time as descending the steps. He curls up into bed and settles in with the blankets pulled around his chin.

He’s awoken when Levi physically pulls him from the bed by his ankle.

Eren lands against the cold stone floor with a screech.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Levi drawls in his usual bored tone but he has a smirk pulling at his lips.

“Wha–” he blinks in an attempt to clear his confusion as he stares angrily at his smug-looking Captain. “Why?”

The man shrugs and grabs Eren’s shirt from where he’d dropped it on the floor and throws it at the boy, “Get dressed, we’re going out with Hange,”

Eren’s body is sluggish and clumsy as he moves, it takes him several attempts to pull his trousers on because he keeps losing balance or yawning.  He’s just about to tug the shirt over his head when he notices Levi’s eyes on him.

“You’re staring,” Eren comments, puffing his chest out slightly as he steps closer to the man.

Levi grunts, “Just marvelling at how one person can be so inept at dressing themselves,”

“You could always help,” he replies as a grin grows on his lips

“I’m not going to help you put clothes _on_ ,” he snorts, and Eren doesn’t miss the way he emphasises the last word.

He can’t stop himself from stepping closer until he’s chest-to-chest with the older man and he has barely registered that his body is definitely awake now.  He’s about to lean down and kiss the Captain when Levi suddenly moves, body twisting away from him with grace that Eren will never possess.

“We don’t have time for that,” he scalds and Eren sighs as Levi leaves the cell and waits at the bottom of the steps.

Eren quickly pulls his shirt on and grabs his jacket and then follows Levi silently to the equipment room, where they join with Hange who greets Eren brightly as he begins to put on his ODM gear.

“So, what has Mr. Grumpy told you about our mission?” Hange asks and Eren has to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing at the nickname.

“Nothing,” Eren answers honestly when he’s managed to compose himself

Hange gives an exaggerated groan, “So typical,” she whines, “I give him a simple task, ‘go get Eren so he can help with our mission today since it was his idea,’ and he can’t even tell you the basics!”

“My idea?” he asks

“Yeah!” she claps her hands together but she's lacking the flutter that usually accompanies her eccentric habits, “we’re going to go talk to the older people in the nearby villages,”

“Oh,”

“And I thought that since it was your idea and you’ve not been on any missions lately, it would be nice for you to join us,” she says.

Eren nods and finishes putting his equipment on before moving outside and preparing three horses for their journey.  He’s just finishing with the saddle straps of the third horse when Hange and Levi emerge from the Castle, talking lowly with Mike.  Mike stops when they’re a few metres from Eren and the man gives him a short nod as he leaves.

Levi takes his horse with barely a glance at Eren and he swings himself into the saddle with ease, Hange gives him a small smile as she accepts his wordless offer for a foot-up onto her horse.  Levi has already set off by the time that Eren mounts and he pushes his horse to catch up to him.  The air seems to weigh heavily with tension as they ride, the tight hunch of Levi’s shoulders and the lack of Hange’s jokes keep Eren on alert and unsettled.

They only ride for an hour before they’re at the nearest village and Eren immediately notes the obvious lack of residents.  They ride in formation, all silent and vigilant.

“Where is everyone?” Eren asks when they’ve circled the village twice and found no trace of anything living.

Levi and Hange share a _look_ and Eren frowns as they both dismount and he follows.

“Eren…” Hange starts, her eyes not meeting his as she can’t find the words to continue.

“We’re not here to speak with villagers,” Levi states, his face void of all emotion and it’s something that Eren hasn’t been on the receiving end in many weeks, it causes his chest to hurt.  “we think there may be more Titans in the 104th,”

Eren’s knees feel a little weak but he manages to steel himself, “who?” The two share another look, but Eren stands straight and curls his hands into balls, “ _who?_ ”

“We suspect Reiner and Bertholdt.” Hange answers, “they come from the same area as Annie and there is evidence of some involvement,”

He takes several deep breaths, staring skywards.  “So, why are we here?”

“This village was abandoned by occupants after the Scouts took residence at HQ again, they didn’t like the idea of living near Hange’s Titan prisoners–”

“Their names were Sonny and Bean!” Hange interrupts

Levi levels her with a sharp look and she quickly quiets down, “Mike is holding the other recruits at HQ, under the guise of a day off.” He continues, “we’ll stay out here until the recruits are cleared, one of Mike’s squad will be bringing us provision later this evening.”

Eren nods, and turns to stroke his horse.  He takes the reins, wordlessly turns and walks away.  He can hear Hange say his name but Levi stops her from following as he heads towards the stream.  He allows his horse to drink and he watches as the water flows strongly downhill, the current seeming to carry anything in its grasp and for a fleeting moment, Eren considers just jumping in and letting the current carry him away too.  He forces the thought away, his horse huffs and shakes its head as if trying to help him banish the thought.

He moves to sit at the edge of the stream, the reins of his horse in one hand and reaching out with the other to touch the cool water; feeling as it rushes between his fingers.  The wind on his face, which had felt so freeing only a week ago, now feels too cold and harsh.  The grass under his legs is damp and unwelcoming.

“You gunna sit over here all day?” Levi asks, his feet coming into Eren’s peripheral vision.

“I’m not sure,” he answers honestly.

“Stand up, Eren” Levi says, his tone uncharacteristically gentle and Eren can’t help but comply when the man is using that voice.  “this is shit, but you gotta get over it.”

Eren sighs, “It’s not that easy, Levi. How could I have trained with these people, people I consider friends, and not _know_?!” he replies, “how could I not have seen that Annie was a Titan?  How did I miss it?”

“It’s called a secret for a reason,” Levi mumbles

“What if they knew?  What if they all knew that Wall Maria was going to be breached?  What if they knew they’d be destroying my life?” Eren can’t stop the way his voice cracks and he sucks in his next breath through clenched teeth.  He keeps his eyes locked onto Levi’s feet and he can feel the warmth of his horse as it presses against his side.

Levi steps closer, their feet only inches apart and he reaches his hand out but he hesitates; like he’s unsure about the actions required to comfort another, as if he _wants_ to touch Eren but doesn’t know _how_.

Eren takes Levi’s suspended hand and the man squeezes it.

“When this is over,” Levi says quietly, “I’ll make sure you have a chance to ask them, okay?”  Eren finally raises his eyes and gives the man a forced smile and holds his hand tighter.

They stand in silence for several minutes before their hands fall apart and they walk side-by-side back towards the village.  Eren ties up his horse beside Hange and Levi’s, where they’ve been given a large pile of grass straws to eat and he follows the other man towards a nearby house.

“We’ll go collect firewood soon, the nights are cold” Hange says as they enter.  “We’ll need enough to keep the house warm for the three of us,”

“I don’t need it,” Eren says with a shrug, “I don’t get cold anymore,”

Levi narrows his eyes as Hange jumps up from her chair, “WHAT?!” she exclaims, “you didn’t think to mention this during our sessions?”

“I never really thought about it much,” he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck

“When did you first notice?  What’s your core temperature?” Hange asks, firing one question after another in rapid succession.  “does your skin feel warmer?  Do you feel cold during your shif–”

“Quiet,” Levi commands, his head turned towards the window which overlooks the road leading towards the village.  Hange falls silent, her flailing hands falling to her sides as she turns towards the window and shifts to get a better look.

A lone rider is approaching the village.  Their green cloak flowing in the wind behind them as they ride hard and fast towards them.

“A scout?” Hange says, her voice barely a whisper as the rider enters the village, “I thought Mike wasn’t sending someone until nightfall,”

“Stay here,” Levi says and then he slips out the backdoor and sneaks between the houses to meet the rider without revealing their location.

Eren and Hange crouch by the front window, watching silently as Levi waits in the middle of the courtyard and the rider (Thomas, one of Mike’s men) slows as he approaches.  The rider says few words before Levi’s back straightens and he moves quickly to retrieve his horse.  Hange and Eren abandon their hiding place in favour of discovering what has caused such a reaction and they jog to Levi’s side.

“Wall Rose has been breached.” Levi reports immediately, “Titans are incoming from the South, I need to ride to the Interior to rally MPs and I need to get Erwin, he’s meeting Commander Pixis today.  Eren, go with Hange.” Levi commands, “the two of you need to ride out to the Wall and meet with the Garrison; find the breach, you might be able to block it again,”

Eren nods, instantly moving to untie the reins of his horse and Levi has his horse untied in seconds.

“Levi,” Eren says as the man moves to mount.

He turns and locks eyes with the boy before stepping forward, his hand moving to hold the nape of Eren’s neck and he pushes their foreheads together.  Eren mirrors his hold; grasping at the short hairs at the base of Levi’s skull and staring into the other man’s eyes.

“Don’t fucking die,” Levi mutters, tightening his hold slightly.

“You too,” Eren replies

And quickly as they’d come together, the older man is releasing him, spinning and mounting.  He pushes his horse into a gallop before Eren’s hand can fall from where Levi had just stood.

Eren quickly finished untying his horse and mounts.

“We ride quick. Don’t transform unless you have no other choice.  If I fall behind or die, then you keep riding, no matter what.” Hange says, her usual sing-song voice replaced by the serious commander he’d not yet seen.

He nods and then they ride.


	13. The Fight

People were dying because of him.

Again.

Eren did everything in his power to protect those he loved.  But those around him still died because of him.

He’d rode alongside Hange as he’d been told, but there was no breach in Wall Rose.  Instead, they’d helped with the evacuation, fought the few Titan’s they’d encountered to protect the fleeing civilians and Eren had felt so ecstatic that he’d killed his first Titan whilst in his human form.  When the evacuation of the South was complete, they’d all regrouped along the top of Wall Rose and they all looked pleased as the sun began to rise.

That’s when it had gone to shit.

He’d been returning from a bathroom break when Reiner and Bertholdt had blocked his path, asking him to come with them.  Revealing themselves as the Colossal and Armoured Titans.  Eren’s ears had rung with the news, his pulse pounding so loudly that he thought that others might be able to hear it.  He’d tried to laugh it off, ask Reiner if he was tired and making bad jokes but the air had left his lungs in shock and despair as Reiner and Bertholdt had transformed.

Eren had _fought_.  He gave it everything he had, he’d used the techniques that Annie taught him and utilized the extra training from Levi.  But in the end, regardless of his Titan ability, he’d be just as weak and useless as ever.

He didn’t even scream when Reiner had bit through his Titan form.  Bit his arms off and held him in his mouth as he ran from the Wall and away from Eren’s home.  He was almost thankful when he’d blacked out from exhaustion and blood loss.

Eren wanted to scream when he’d seen the smoke signals of the Scout Unit.  He was both relieved that they’d come to rescue him but at the same time, he wanted to tell them to turn around and not to risk their lives in a hopeless mission to retrieve him.  He wasn’t worth it.

And he was right.

So many were dying.  Erwin lost an arm and more Titans were closing in on their location.  The entire Scout Unit would be wiped out at this rate but all Eren could feel was relief that Levi was nowhere to be seen.  Most likely still inside the safety of Wall Sina and sitting in some meeting with stuffy nobles, talking about what to do with the influx of refugees.  Eren smiled to himself at the image of him; bored, frustrated and most likely swearing.

Eventually, a combination attack from both Mikasa and Erwin managed to release him from where he’d been tied to Bertholdt’s back.  Thankfully, he’d been caught by Mikasa and Erwin called a full retreat.  It seemed like a nice idea but they were surrounded and half of them were dead but they tried regardless.

Until he and Mikasa had been knocked from their horse.

They had no means of escape and Mikasa was injured.  They were defenceless and Eren couldn’t transform.

He’d had to turn away as Hannes had sacrificed himself for them.  Eren felt shame wash over him, because after everything that Hannes had done for him, Mikasa and Armin, he hadn’t even given the man the respect to watch his final sacrifice.  He looked at Mikasa, feeling the skin on his fingertips finish knitting back together and then he’d fought, bare-fisted against the Smiling Titan who had eaten his mother alive. 

The yellow flash of lightening had been a shock.  He thought about it as he lay in the back of the cart, Mikasa silent at his side as tears began to trickle down his face.


	14. Night and Day. Day and Night

Eren didn’t speak when they’d arrived back at the Scout HQ.

He couldn’t look up as he got off the cart and made his way inside the Castle.  He couldn’t look at them right now.  He couldn’t see the numerous dead and injured bodies they’d managed to retrieve, it was only a small fraction of those who had been left behind to be devoured.

He’d walked to the showers and stripped naked before stepping into the burning hot water.  And then he started to scrub.  He washed his skin to rid himself of the guilt and the blame.  He rubbed away the blood and chunks of his colleagues.  He pulled out a tooth that was tangled in his hair, he didn’t know who it belonged to.  Didn’t want to know.  He scoured his skin until he’d started to bleed but then he’d healed immediately, a brutal reminder of how _not_ human he was.

Eren wrapped himself in several large towels and then went down to his cell and dressed into his usual casual clothes before he sat at the edge of the bed.

He sat for hours, his body motionless as his mind reeled.  So many more people were dead because he wasn’t strong enough.  His friends injured and his comrades left in a battlefield where their bodies would never be recovered. And yet here he sat, alive and unscathed.  His limbs had grown back and the only remaining sign that he’d ever been on the battlefield were the residual red burn marks on his face which came after he used his Titan form.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed but when Armin came down with a small bowl of stew and a stale bread roll, he muttered that it was time for bed and then left without another word, clearly sensing that the other boy didn’t want to talk.

Eren thought about laying down and trying to sleep but the idea seemed to turn his stomach.  This cell made him feel claustrophobic, like the walls were trying to suffocate him.  He wasn’t safe here.

He stood, his joints stiff as he walked up the stairs and into the corridor.  He went to turn left but his body froze, he couldn’t go outside right now, it was too empty and so open for another attack.  Outside wasn’t safe either.  Instead, he let his feet take him right, leading him down the long corridor and into the Officers wing.  The door was, thankfully, unlocked and he entered and sighed. This was safe.

Levi’s room was as neat as always.  Regardless that the other man hadn’t been there for several days.  Eren’s legs immediately took him to the bed, where he sat down on the edge, his fingers brushing over the ridiculously soft blanket which was laid atop the duvet.  He felt like he did when Levi and he had gotten drunk after their team had died; unhappy, anxious and broken.

Eren reaches out and takes one of Levi’s fluffy pillows, cuddling it to his stomach and inhaling the man’s scent and then he sits.

He watches out the window as the night turns to day.  He can hear people outside the window, the occasional shout and other conversations but nothing he cares to listen to.  The day passes to night and then to day.  Eren knows he should get up and go help the others clear up his mess but whenever he thinks this, his body freezes up and he grasps the pillow tighter to his chest.

The sun is setting when the door opens.

He knows who it is by the soft, almost silent footsteps and the fact that the man hadn’t knocked before entering.

“Thought I’d find you here,” Levi’s voice is quiet and Eren can’t help the way his check seizes.  He also can’t seem to find the energy to look away from the window or to give the man any indication that he’d heard him.

The mattress dipped beside him as Levi sat down. “Eren.” Levi’s voice was soft, far softer than Eren deserved, “Look at me,”

He was able to lift his head then, to turn and face the man.  He looked tired, his skin paler than usual and his eyes had dark circles around them but he still looked so beautiful as the waning light shone through the window and made his eyes twinkle.

“I’m sorry,” Levi says, his own gaze raking over Eren’s body and then settling somewhere over his shoulder.  “I-I never should have left you.”

Eren shakes his head, feeling the tears, which are uncontrollably streaming down his cheeks.  He opens his mouth to tell Levi that he _had_ to leave and that he shouldn’t be apologising.  But all that comes out is a broken sob, followed by another and then Eren is falling into the man’s chest.  Levi carefully pushes the pillow from Eren’s body and then pulls the boy into his lap and holds him silently as he cries.

“They knew!” Eren manages to gasp as the sobs are ripped from his chest, “They knew they killed my Mother and they didn’t care.” He hiccups and grips Levi’s shirt harder. “Everyone is dead, Levi.  They’re all dead because I wasn’t good enough.  I just want to be good enough”

“You’re as good as you need to be, Eren”

Levi pulls him closer, rocking him gently as he continues to cry.  He’s got his face buried in Eren’s hair and Levi can’t bring himself to release the broken, crying boy in his arms.


	15. Wake Up.

Eren wakes two days later to light streaming through the open window and straight into his eyes.  He groggily blinks open his eyes and stretches out his sore body.

“Oh, you’re awake” Levi’s voice is abrupt but Eren can feel the softness at the edges.

He sits up, rubbing a hand through his greasy hair and grimacing at the taste in his mouth.  Levi is sat at his desk on the other side of the room, fully dressed in his Scout uniform.  There’s a pile of paperwork before him which the man abandons in favour of standing and moving to sit on the side of the bed.

“How do you feel?” he asks, fingers hovering above the boy’s hand, like he’s afraid to touch him.

“I don’t know,” he answers weakly, “but I want to shower,”

Levi nods, “C’mon,” he commands, leaving the bed to walk into the attached bathroom and Eren hears the water start to run.

Eren slowly stands and pushes away the dizzy feeling that washes over him.  He stumbles as he walks, his legs a little unsteady after lying down for a long time but he manages to enter the bathroom, where he finds Levi folding towels onto the counter.

“The water is warm,” the man says, “and your towels are here.  I’ll go fetch you a fresh set of clothes while you shower,” and then Levi leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Eren strips quickly, grimacing at how his clothes somewhat damp and stuck to his body and he smells like sweat.  He drops his clothing into a pile near the door and steps into the bath and under the warm spray of the shower and his muscles immediately relax and Eren feels weightless under the falling water.  He’s strangely reminded of the way the village river had felt between his fingers.

He uses the mint hair-wash which Levi had used on him all those weeks ago and relishes in the smell and feeling.  He washes his body with the fancy rose-scented soap and then turns off the water.  When he steps out of the tub and onto the plush mat, he sees that at some point, Levi had entered and left fresh uniform and removed his dirty clothing, he’d also left a small toothbrush on the counter, next to a little tub of ground mint paste.

Eren wraps his body in the fluffy towels and then spends time using the brush and mint paste.  He chances a look into the mirror and sees the dark rings around his eyes, but no other marks which indicates the horror which he’d occurred all those days ago.  He looks away, unable to stare at himself any longer.

He finishes drying himself quickly and tugs on his boxers and trousers and then he uses the towel to scrub the remaining water from his hair before pulling his shirt on.  He folds the towels again and then exits the bathroom.

“Where do I put these?” he asks when he sees Levi sat at his desk once again.

Levi glances up and then points to a small basket at the bottom of the bed.  The bedding has been changed and remade into its usual pristine condition.  Eren nods and crosses the room to put the towels into the basket, he sees his sweaty uniform and the dirty bedding in their too.

“Thanks,” he mutters and he drops the towels.  He walks back to the desk, his finger running around the edge of the wood and he pauses when he reaches Levi’s side.  “What are you working on?”

Levi seems to hesitate but he answers, “Erwin is still in the hospital, so I’ve got all his shitty paperwork,”

The image of Commander Erwin without an arm flashes in Eren’s mind and lets his hand drop back to his side.  He swallows the nausea that threatens to overpower him and he sucks in a breath through clenched teeth.

Levi finally takes Eren’s hand and his warmth – both temperature and the way he makes Eren feel – washes over the boy.  “You should eat” Eren shakes his head and Levi frowns deeply, “Eren, you’ve been in this room for five days and you’ve not eaten anything”

“Five...?” he asks quietly.

His grip on the boy’s hand tightens, “You were in here for three days before I got back and you’ve slept for the last two days,” he replies, “you need to eat,”

Eren nods slowly, “Okay,”

Levi stands and releases Eren’s hand to pull on his jacket.  Then he leads their way out the door and down to the Cafeteria.  The stone floor is cold under Eren’s bare feet and the corridors are empty, when he passes an open window, he sees the other recruits training in the courtyard, led by Squad Leader Mike.

Eren stops to watch them all practice hand-to-hand combat and out the corner of his eye, he sees that Levi has stopped walking too.  “I think I’ll need extra lessons,” he says quietly, “I need to be better.”

“We’ll keep training,” Levi nods.

“No, I want one-on-one training only.” He tears his eyes away from the window to stare at the man and square his shoulders.  “I can work on stamina and strength in my own time.  I need you to train me so that I can fight properly.”

The man sighs heavily, “Eren…” his tone is tired, like he’s bored of speaking to a bratty child.

“I _need_ to be better.” The younger boy stresses, “this is never going to stop.  They’ve tried to take me once and they’ll try again.  No one else will die because I’m not good enough.”

“You’re decided?” Levi sounds amused now.

“Yes.”

“Okay then.” He gives Eren one of his secret smiles, “But I’ve been told that I’m a hard-ass”

Eren doesn’t have the energy to smile back, but he thinks the twitch of his lips speaks volumes.


	16. Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.

As promised, Eren trains hard over the next few weeks.

He wakes before breakfast and runs laps of the Castle wall until breakfast, where he eats and drinks tea before heading back outside to do push-ups and sit-ups alone until Levi finishes his morning paperwork and heads out to meet him in the courtyard.

Levi drills Eren for hours.  Teaches him to practice positioning his feet correctly when punching and how to use his hands to balance himself when kicking.  He shows Eren how to overpower anyone bigger than him and how to defeat smaller opponents. Levi explains to Eren how to move as if his blades were an extension of his own arms, as opposed to weapons in his hands.

They train relentlessly until dinner and they walk back into the Castle together and then they split.  Eren goes to shower, whilst Levi heads to the mess hall and later, when he’s queued up and got his food, Eren will see Levi sat at the Officers table and Eren takes his food down to his cell.  He eats and then crawls into bed to repeat his day.

He’s not been close with Levi since their show of affection when they had thought Wall Rose had been breached.  Eren misses the feel of the man’s hands on his body and the way that he felt as Levi had shown him a softer, more gentle side to his personality.  Sometimes, he wants nothing more than to reach out and touch the older man; hold his hand or kiss him.

But Eren can’t do that anymore.  He needs to focus on training because it’ll mean that next time something happens, he’ll be strong enough to protect everyone, _including_ Levi.

And he is getting stronger every single day.  The muscles of his arms and thighs are becoming more defined and his stomach, which had previously been a flat, now stretches around six clearly outlined abs.  He’s able to fight with grace and make attacks based on precision, as opposed to just throwing a punch out of anger and hoping it hits with enough force to give him an advantage.

But he could be better.

He _needs_ to be better.

Eren wakes earlier than usual the next day.  But when he realises that he’s not going to be able to sleep, he dresses and heads outside to begin his morning run early.  The sun is just rising and he takes a moment to appreciate the colours which project across the sky; a beautiful mix of purple, pink, orange and yellow.  And then he starts to run.

He doesn’t stop for breakfast because this is the best he’s felt since he’d returned from the ordeal.  The heavy weight in his chest feels lighter, as if the feeling is dripping away with each drop of sweat which runs down his face.  So, he doesn’t stop, he just continues to run, even after the other recruits have come out and start their own training session.

Eren only stops when Levi appears with Hange beside him.

“What are we doing today?” he asks breathlessly.

Levi doesn’t respond, instead, Hange happily announced that Eren is with her and she excitedly grabs his bicep and pulls him towards the stable.  Eren flinches at her touch and quickly extracts himself from her grasp, he doesn’t want anyone touching him.  He doesn’t deserve her friendship.  He’ll deserve it after he’s resealed Wall Maria and gained access to his Father’s basement.

Hange glances back at him and for a second, her face holds concern but it’s quickly replaced by her usual grin as they enter the stable.  Eren’s horse greets him with a sneeze in his face and he strokes her neck and quietly apologises for not visiting her.

They saddle up and Eren wordlessly follows Hange through the main gates and far beyond the Castle.  He slows his horse when she comes to a stop in a large field.  He dismounts and they tie their horses in the shade of a large oak tree.

“Levi says you’ve improved your fighting, I want to see how much of this you can transfer to your Titan form.” She explains, punching aimlessly at the air as she speaks. “So, I just want you to transform and show me some of the moves that you’ve been working on with the Cap,”

Eren nods, pulls his boots off and drops them near their horses before he walks far away from both Hange and the horses.  He rolls his shoulders, brings his hand to his mouth and then bites down hard.

 _I need to protect them all_.

He transforms immediately and if Eren wasn’t so focused on the discomfort caused by his bones growing and bursting through his skin, then he might have acknowledged that it’s the first time he’d managed to transform instantly during training.

When he opens his eyes again, Hange is whooping and jumping around.

He doesn’t waste time, he drops into his attack stance, his arms coming up to defend himself and he begins to punch and kick at an invisible enemy.  He’s more unbalanced in this shape, his muscle-memory not as well formed as it is as a human.  But Eren adapts quickly and realises that he needs a slightly wider stance and that more tension in his legs helps to stop him from stumbling after a roundhouse kick.

He continues to practice until the sun is high in the sky and Hange uses her ODM gear to launch herself up and onto his shoulder.

“Okay, I’ve got all the data I need,” she tells him, “I want you to try and withdraw yourself, if you can’t then I’ll cut you out”

She jumps away and Eren waits until she’s a safe distance before he focuses his mind on trying to push his human body from the nape of the Titan neck.

Nothing happens.

Eren tries to imagine the image of his human body emerging from the Titan form.

Nothing still.

He tries several more things until he becomes frustrated and releases an angry grunt.  And then he lifts his hands and digs his sharp nails into the skin on the nape of his neck and rips the skin apart.  He repeats the process a few more times, digging deeper and deeper into the flesh of his Titan body, leaving flesh and blood stuck under his nails.  After a few moments, he reveals his human body and he pulls his small head free from the gigantic body.  He quickly pulls his arms from the muscle and his legs follow soon after.

As soon as he’s pulled his body from the huge form, the Titan begins to steam and melt away.  He waits for the skin to disappear before using its spine as a ladder and climbing down to the ground once again.

“You did great,” Hange congratulates him as he walks over and starts to pull on his boots, “Granted, your exit strategy could use some work”

“It did the job,” he answers shortly, “I didn’t need help either,”

“No, I suppose you didn’t,” the edges of her lips are pulling down again and this time, she doesn’t try to cover it.

He gently strokes his horse as he waits for his erratic breathing to calm again.

“How are you, Eren?” she asks carefully, her voice soft and unsure.

“I’m fine,” he replies

She drops the subject and mounts.  Eren copies her, giving his horse one last pat before he swings his body up onto the saddle and they ride back to HQ in silence.


	17. Maybe More

Upon arrival back at HQ, Eren immediately knows something is different.

The guards at the front gate are stood straighter and the leaves which had previously been piled nearby had been cleared.   The change sets Eren on edge.

Were they under attack again?

What if something important had happened and he’d been so busy playing Titan-doll with Hange that he’d missed it?

He jumps off his horse as they enter the Castle walls and he keeps his eyes open for any threats as he quickly walks towards the stable and he closes his horse in her stall.  Eren’s eyes dart around for potential danger as he crosses over towards the main building and walks alongside the wall towards the courtyard and the sounds of fighting causes him to speed up his pace.

He rounds the corner to the courtyard and his body freezes when he comes face-to-face with Erwin.  The blonde man is in his uniform, smiling down at Eren.  Levi is stood at the man’s side and behind them, the other recruits are practicing hand-to-hand combat.  His eyes instantly focus in on the way that his empty right sleeve is neatly pinned against his shirt.

“Hello, Mr Yeager” Commander Erwin greets him warmly, “How are you?”

He salutes immediately but his heartbeat is roaring in his ears as a wave of nausea washes over him.  “Sir!”

He feels sweat bead across his forehead and his breathing gets heavy.  Unable to take his eyes away from the sight of the man’s arm missing because _that’s his fault_.  He is the reason that the unbeatable Commander of the Scouting Regiment lost his arm.

“Eren,” Levi says, stepping forward slightly but the boy just stumbles back to put distance between the two of them.

“Sir,” he repeats before he turns and walks away.

He makes it back to the stable before he manages to let his arms drop from their salute position and he gasps.  His lungs feel tight and he can’t stop the way his head keeps replaying the image of Erwin’s arm being bitten off.  But he doesn’t want to see that.  He needs to not be seeing that.

Eren punches the stone wall of the stable.

Pain shoots up his hand and into his arm and it causes him to blink, every fibre of his body redirecting it’s focus onto the pain radiating from the split on his knuckle.  Except the cut steams and quickly heals and his chest tightens again and the images are threatening to return.

He punches the stone wall again.  And again. And again. And again. And again.

Eren keeps punching.  Uses both hands until the wall is dripping with his blood but his hands just keeping _healing_.  He throws several more punches, feeling the bone in his left-hand snap and he relishes the feeling until he feels the bone re-set.

“Fucking STOP!” he yells at them.

His knees collapse from under him and he sinks to the grass, only able to watch as a useless bystander as the cuts and broken bone heal themselves before his eyes.  And he wants to scream because he doesn’t _want_ this.  He wants to feel the pain, so that it can serve as his payment for all the pain he’s caused others.

“Eren,”

At the edge of his vision, he sees someone kneel in front of him.  It isn’t until gentle hands grasp his cheeks and slowly pull his face up that Eren manages to bring his eyes away from his blood-covered hands. 

To anyone else, Levi’s expression would look emotionless.  But Eren can read the underlying concern on his face in the way that his eyebrows are furrowed in the middle and his lips are pulled tight.

“None of this shit is your fault, Eren,” the Captain says.

“Of course, it is” he replies, shaking his head to dislodge the man’s grip but all it achieves is Levi’s hands tightening on his face.  “I need to be better,”

“You’re so fucking wrong,” he growls angrily, “you’ve always been _wrong_.  You were wrong when you said you weren’t fucking human and you were wrong when you said you weren’t good enough”

He’s shaking his head for a different reason now. “That doesn’t matter!”

“Of course, it fucking matters,” he laughs, except it’s not the melodic noise that he’s shown to Eren before but the ugly snort which he’d used when they first met.

Eren finally manages to pull his face free of Levi’s grip and he rushes to stand on his shaky legs.  Levi easily follows the action, showing far more grace.

“Eren, stop thinking that you’re alone,” he sighs, “your part of the Scout Regiment and you should start acting like it.  We’re a _unit_ , a _squad_.  If you can’t trust them, then trust me,”

“I can’t” he says through clenched teeth, and he can feel the anger bubbling up under his skin.

Levi’s answer is yelled and frustrated “WHY?!” he pushes Eren’s shoulders, “WHAT CAN’T YOU?!”

Eren launches himself at Levi, tackling the other man to the grass and straddling his waist.  “BECAUSE I KEEP GETTING PEOPLE KILLED.  I CAN’T GET ANYONE ELSE KILLED!”

“STOP ACTING LIKE THE FUCKING VICTIM.” Levi replies, and he opens his mouth to add to the insult but Eren doesn’t give him the opportunity.

He punches Levi in the jaw.

The crack of bone against bone seems to echo around them and the moment hangs in the air.

Until Levi punches him back and Eren goes tumbling off the man’s body from the weight behind the hit.

They both climb to their feet and then they’re both moving quickly.

Eren throws another punch but Levi manages to deflect it with his forearm and then he twists to drive his foot into Eren’s stomach.  The boy swipes his foot behind Levi’s other knee and topples him over, pushing his face into Eren’s waiting fist.  Levi uses the momentum of the punch to strike Eren’s cheek with a kick.  They’re almost evenly matched now; Levi’s natural speed and skill mixed with experience against Eren’s stamina, strength and stubbornness to continue as well as all the techniques which the other man had been teaching him.

Both land several good blows.  Eren’s face and neck are covered in blood whilst Levi has a split lip, a bloody nose and a cut across his temple which will bruise as well.

Eren can hear Hange and Mikasa yelling at him to stop and he releases a yell to block out their voices as he throws a reckless, sloppy punch at Levi.  The man uses the opening to grab Eren and throw them both to the hard ground.  He repeats Eren’s earlier move and straddles his hips before pinning his hands above his head.

“Just kill me already.” Eren says, voice small and defeated, “Please,”

Levi swallow, “No.”

“ _Please_ ,” he begs, “I’m broken and you’re the only one who can do it,”

“You’re not broken, Eren” Levi replies in a whisper, bringing his face closer.

“I am,” Eren says, “I’m a monster.”

“ _No_.” he repeats with more intent.  Levi slides their noses together, repeating the comforting gesture which Eren had given him in his prison cell before his trial.  The can both feel as their blood smears together but neither can bring themselves to unlock their gaze to examine it. “You’re so fucking perfect, Eren.  _So_ perfect,”

Eren goes weak and stops struggling against him but Levi doesn’t stop whispering to him.  He’s speaking so quietly that if Eren were a few inches further away, he wouldn’t have heard the words.

“You keep saying how broken you are, that you’re a monster and that you’re not good enough,” he exhales hot air against Eren’s lips, “but that is so fucking wrong.  You’re the strongest person I have ever met and I’m so fucking in love with you that it makes me want to punch myself in the throat.”

Eren freezes.

“Did you–”

“For once in your fucking life, shut the fuck up,” Levi growls and then he closes the distance between them.

It’s not their best kiss.

They’re both covered in blood and Levi keeps wincing because of the cut on his lip which makes everything taste metallic. It’s not their best but it’s still a little perfect because Eren can feel the man’s thumb gently brush his cheekbone and he manages to get one hand free to push Levi’s matted hair from his face and he tilts his head to get a better angle.

“Okay, boys” Hange sighs, nudging Levi’s shoulder with her foot, “as much as we all enjoy a show, this isn’t the time or place,”

They remain for a few more seconds and then Levi slowly pulls away and, with his hair as cover, he offers Eren one of his secret smiles before stands and pulls Eren up with him by the material of his shirt.  The younger boy turns his head to spit out a mouthful of blood onto the grass and when he turns back, he sees they’ve got a crowd.

Hange, Mikasa and Erwin are stood close by, they’d clearly been prepared to jump in and separate the boys if they’d not finished fighting themselves.  Behind them, the recruits are gathered, having probably wanted to know what the source of the yelling had been but the person Eren’s eyes focus on is Armin.  The boy is stood to the side, a small laugh shaking his shoulders as he looks back at Eren with a mixed expression of concern and happiness and all Eren can do in response is shrug.

“C’mon, asshole,” Levi pushes his shoulder in the direction of the Castle, “We need to go clean up and then you’re gunna wash that wall until it fucking shines,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only an Epilogue to come now!


	18. Epilogue

Eren wakes to hands trailing up the sides of his waist and the wash of warm air being exhaled across his shoulder blades.

He wiggles slightly, trying to push his face further into the fluffy pillow and he pulls the soft blanket tighter around his body to attempt to get another hour of sleep.

Except Levi has other ideas.

Because there the distinct and familiar feeling of Levi’s dick rocking into his ass and the older man is pressing kisses against his back.  His hands slide cross Eren’s chest and pinch his nipple.

“Morning,” he mumbles after several minutes or Levi’s attention and finally acknowledging that he won’t being going back to sleep any time soon.  Eren rolls over onto his back and in response, Levi grunts and attaches his mouth to the younger man’s collarbone, sucking to leave a mark against his skin which will probably be gone before breakfast.

Eventually, Levi’s mouth moves up his neck and he gives Eren a smile before kissing him deeply and after that, Eren gets aboard the sex-train very quickly.  The last remnants of sleep washing from his body as his dick gets hard and he curls his legs around Levi’s waist.

The man’s hand blindly reaches out and searches the nightstand drawer before pulling back with their vial of oil.  Levi wastes no time in coating up his fingers and pushing two straight into Eren, who moans at the feeling and bites down onto the Levi’s bottom lip.

He adds a third finger and Eren’s mouth drops open in soundless pleasure because his partner has explored his body enough to know that Eren likes when Levi curls his middle finger and _oh. Just like that_.

“Fuck,” he yells, his back arching from the bed as his nails dig into the skin on Levi’s shoulder.

“So fucking hot,” Levi mutters, mostly to himself as he moves his middle finger against his prostate again, grinning when he gains another yell.

“C’mon.”

“Be patient,” he scalds, stretching the younger man with his fingers again, twisting them slightly.

After several more minutes, Levi removes his fingers and wipes them on a clean rag which they keep next to their bed.  They’d decided on rags after Eren got annoyed with Levi always using his t-shirts.  Eren uses the momentary distraction to push Levi over and onto his back, he moves to straddle the man and makes quick work of coating his hard cock in the oil and then he lines himself up and sinks down onto his dick.

“Fucking fuck,” Levi gasps.

He immediately grips onto Eren’s hips and starts to buck up into him until the other man pushes his hands away and starts to rock, sliding up and down his length with just his legs propelling the movement.  He reaches out and interlocks both hands with Levi’s and pins their hands on their side of Levi’s head.

“Fuckkkk!” he shouts when Eren starts to pant and increase his pace.

Eren keeps this rhythm until he can see Levi getting close to his orgasm and then he releases his hands and allows Levi to grip his hips again.  He sets a relentless pace as he thrusts upwards into Eren’s body.  It only takes another minute before they’re both coming and Eren grins as his come streaks across Levi’s chest and some of it pools in the dip of his throat.

“So fucking hot,” Eren repeats, staring down at the older man panting beneath him and Levi grips his hair to pull him down into another bruising kiss.

They separate shortly afterwards and they walk into their connected bathroom to shower.

“Today is the day,” Eren mutters to Levi as they stand under the hot stray of water.

“Yeah,” is all Levi answers with.

 

Breakfast is quiet.

Everyone thinking about the sacrifices which will have to be made for this plan to work.

The plan had been three years in the making; since Erwin had returned from his injury and he’d started planning for this day.

Three years had changed so much for them all.

Whilst Levi and Eren were happily together within the walls of the Castle; beyond the walls, their relationship was still strictly considered one where Eren was a prisoner and Levi his designated assassin.  Mikasa had been _less_ than pleased with the development, she’d spent three months alternating between trying to convince Eren that it was a terrible choice and giving Levi dirty looks and mean comments.  However, she’d come around eventually.  Eren suspected Armin had some input to her sudden change of attitude but the other man refused to comment on the subject.

Levi had received an official warning from Erwin for having sex with a subordinate but Erwin had also called the Scout Regiment together and said that whilst he couldn’t stop anyone from reporting Levi and Eren’s relationship, he explained that if anyone _did_ report them, it was likely that Levi would be removed from the Military and Eren would be executed.  And any chance of Humanity surviving the Titans would die with them.  Thankfully, everyone either feared the potential outcome or respected Erwin enough to keep their mouths shut.

The recruits who had seen his and Levi’s bloodied exchange in front of the stables had teased Eren mercilessly when he was out of their Captain’s hearing range.  But the other members of the Scouts had been confused and less than welcoming to begin with, but over the previous three years, they’d all come to terms with the relationship and only Eren’s friends continued to mock him for his long gazes and the occasional limp.

But what didn’t change over the last three years was the promise which Levi had made immediately after their fight:

**The two walked into Levi’s connected bathroom and began stripping their bloodied clothing.  Eren turned the water of the shower on whilst Levi examined the cuts and bruises on his face.**

**“I-I have to ask you something before I can say it back,” Eren muttered, just audible over the noise of the shower, “If I lose control, will you still be able to fulfil your duty and kill me?”**

**Levi meets his eyes in the mirror which is slowly starting to fog with the steam from the shower.  The man turns to face him.**

**“Yes.” He answers simply, “If there was _no_ other choice and we’d exhausted all other potential outcomes and you posed a true risk to others.  Then, yes, I would kill you.”**

**Eren opened his mouth to reply when Levi had continued talking.**

**“But not because of my duty.  I would kill you because I know that you would rather die than hurt anyone.” He reaches out and brushes his fingertips against Eren’s cheek.  “I promise you, I will never let you hurt anyone.  I will never let you become one of those monsters”**

**“Thank you,” Eren leans into his hand. “I love you too… I couldn’t say it until I knew that you wouldn’t change what you have to do.”**

Eren shares a quick glance with Levi from his table to where the man was sat at the Officers table before turning back to his friends.  Sasha and Connie’s heads were tucked together, talking quietly as they ate, most likely exchanging sweet nothings before they separated into their different squads for the mission.  Jean was whispering to Mikasa on a different table, the man had called Mikasa over to sit with him that morning and he’d not touched a bite of his breakfast. Armin and Eren kept alternating between glancing at them and then to each other, both wondering if Jean had _finally_ managed to build up enough courage to confess his love to Mikasa.

Eren took another look around the mess hall to find friends and lovers huddled close, either saying informal goodbyes or laughing between themselves to lighten the mood of impending doom.

Erwin silently standing called the attention of all the Scout Regiment.

“Today, we ride out on our most dangerous mission ever.” He begins, “We all have those we hold dear, some are in this room but other might be back in your home towns.  Regardless, today we fight for them! We fight for each other! We fight for humanity!”

He pauses as the room erupts into cheers of agreement.

“You all know the mission; we right for Wall Maria, where Eren will seal the breach and then we can eliminate the Titans who dare to enter our sanctuary.  It is likely that not all of us will return but everyone who rides today does so for the benefit of Humanity.  This will not be easy but I have faith that each and every one has the skill and courage to survive this.” Erwin brings his speech to close by performing a salute, except his salute uses his left-hand.  “It is an honour to serve alongside Humanity’s best and brightest”

The room salutes him in return and then Erwin leaves the room.

Other soldiers begin to file out slowly as they finish their breakfasts.  When Eren goes outside, most of the horses are already saddled and gathered into their squads and the carts have already been loaded with supplies.

Armin falls into step beside him and he offers the man a short smile and they stop in a patch of sunlight.  Armin is set to stay with Commander Erwin and help use the messengers reports of information to adjust their strategy on the move to help them win this with minimal casualties as possible.  Erwin had chosen Armin as his successor almost a year ago and the two were practically inseparable since.

“Come home, Eren” Armin says quietly, “It doesn’t matter that’s in that basement, just come home afterwards”

“Of course,” he says, trying not to focus on the more ‘need-to-know’ part of his mission which involved him, Levi and Hange sneaking off to his old house and entering finally entering the basement.  “Everything is here… You, Mikasa, Levi”

“And if any of us die?” his face is grim, Mikasa is leading one of the advanced teams who will be clearing a path for Levi and Eren to access the wall easier.  The chance of one or all of them dying is highly likely

“Well, I’ll need people to keep me sane afterwards,” he replies airily, “but we’re all going to make it home, Armin.  I know it.”

The other man opens his mouth to speak when he abruptly stops and points towards the Castle, and when Eren turns to look, he sees Jean and Mikasa stood in the shadows of the building with their lips locked.

“About fucking time,” he says and they both smile.

A bell chimes three times above them, signalling that everyone should say their goodbyes and mount up.

Eren turns and flings his arms around the blonde man in a crushing hug.  “We’re going to be okay, Armin.  All of us.”

The blonde nods when they separate and Eren doesn’t get any other words out before Mikasa is hugging him like she’d trying to push all the air from his lungs.  He returns the embrace with equal strength.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with your team?” she asks

“We all have our roles, Mika,” he replies, “I’ll be with Levi, we’ll be okay”

She pulls back with her hands on his shoulders and levels him with a serious look which scarily reminds him of the ones his Mother used to give him, “Don’t let him slack off, okay?” she says, “If he doesn’t protect you properly then I’m going to kick his short-ass from here to Sina”

Eren laughs, “I have no doubt,”

They hug briefly and then he turns and speak with their friends; Connie and Sasha pull him into a hug between the two of them whilst he and Jean settle with a firm handshake.

They all separate to their different squads; and Eren moves to the front of the parade to find Levi stood between their horses, speaking with Hange and Erwin.

Hange sees him and throws her arms around him.  “Eren, you’re my favourite and you’re not allowed to die for at least another Seventy years, okay?” she tells him loudly, “you’re the angry little brother I never had and I have specific life goals laid out in my head for you, so I’ll be really disappointed if you don’t fulfil them.”

“Life goals?” he asks carefully,

“Yes!” she exclaims, releasing him and wrapping her arms around an unexpecting Levi who doesn’t return the hug but he doesn’t fight it either.  “In my head, you have to save the world whilst being a parent of two with Mr. Grumpy.  Your kids are called Esmeralda and Yakub”

“Can we have a dog?” he grins, watching as Hange moves her hug on to Erwin, who returns it, much to Eren’s surprise.

“A dog?!” she exclaims, “How could I have missed such a vital detail?  Yes, you will have a dog called Bruce!”

“Sounds perfect.”

“It is,” she nods, slowly walking backwards towards the Squad she’ll be leading.  “So, you better not disappoint me by doing something stupid like dying, okay?”

He nods and turns to give Erwin a salute.

“Eren, I think after all this time, we can manage a handshake” Erwin holds out his left hand and Eren shakes it with both hands.  “It is a pleasure to know you, Eren Yeager.”

“You too, Sir”

Erwin exchanges a short nod with Levi and then walks away to climb onto the cart which will carry both him and Armin, as well as their endless supply of maps, strategy notes and smoke signal bullets.

Finally, Eren turns to Levi.

Levi reaches up and places a hand on the nape of Eren’s neck, pulling their foreheads together.  Eren holds the older man’s neck and they take a moment to close their eyes and breathe each other in.  It’s a mirror of their goodbye they’d exchanged in the village when they thought Wall Rose had fallen, except Eren is almost a foot taller now.  They’ve exchanged this gesture for the last three years, whenever either one or both of them left on a mission; a good luck charm of affection and desperation.

“Don’t fucking die,” Levi says quietly

“You too,” he replies

They push their lips together in a short, bruising kiss.  When they pull away, Levi stays close.

“Eren, if we survive this–” Levi starts

“ _When_ we survive this,” Eren corrects with a smile.

“Whatever.” The man grunts

“Not ‘whatever’,” he scalds, “we’re gunna live and we’re gunna come back,”

“Yeah, okay” he says impatiently, “what I’m tryin–”

Eren interrupts him again, “Say it, Levi.” He commands, “Say we’re both coming back”

“Would you shut u–”

“This is important, Levi” he frowns, “Just say–”

“Eren, I’m trying to ask yo–”

“ _Levi_!” he says angrily, “Just _say_ it!”

“WILL YOU FUCKING MARRY ME?!” Levi yells in Eren’s face.

Eren blinks, eyes wide as silence falls around them.

“What?” he breathes

“I said… Will you marry me?” he repeats.

“Say it first.” Eren pushes.

“We’re both coming back,” Levi concedes.

“Fuck yes, I’ll marry you” Eren grins.

Levi nods, and pulls a small box out of his cloak.  He opens it and passes it to the younger man.

Eren glances into the box and sees a plain silver ring.  He picks it up with a shaking hand and pushes it onto the ring-finger of his left-hand.  He closes the box and grips it tightly as he steps forward and kisses Levi again, except this time there is a lot more tongue involved.

Hange cheers and claps and yells about their life plan coming together and both Connie and Sasha shout their encouragement from across the courtyard.  And if either of them had been paying attention, they’d have seen Armin drop several coins into Erwin waiting hand.

When they separate, Eren pushes their foreheads together again and whispers, “You really better not fucking die now.”

“You too,”

They push away and Levi mounts his horse, mumbling angrily about how Eren had to make everything so fucking difficult.  But for once, the younger man doesn’t react with his own comments, he simply climbs onto his own horse, looks at the ring on his finger and then looks at Levi and says, “I love you too, asshole.”

The bell begins to ring continuously and all the soldiers of the Scout Regiment mount their horses and the front gates open.

“FOR HUMANITY!”

A cheer erupts from the Regiment and they ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIN.!!  
> I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has followed this story, left kudos and even commented. I have absolutely adored writing this story and the support you've all given me has made it that much more special.  
> I don't currently have any plans for a sequel but you never know, inspiration may strike at some point.!
> 
> If there are any artists amongst you, please feel free to draw anything relating to this story but make sure you send me link so that I can add it to the story for everyone to see!
> 
> I'm on Tumblr, so come say hi: http://paigerhiann.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you again.  
> Many loves for you all.  
> x o x o


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